Any Other Way
by gdabbo
Summary: Quinntana story, set after the 'I do' episode of Glee. Follow their journey of flirty friendship and romance. This is my first FanFic and I've had fun writing it so far. I hope you enjoy it.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Santana's POV

I've always loved people watching. It's great; really, I mean there are some right freaks out there. Trust me, I'd know, I'm from Lima, where the weirdos of the world like to congregate and randomly burst into song and crap like that. Or at least that's what the freaks at my high school enjoyed doing. Looking back, McKinley was definitely a dump, but I loved it all the same, despite the crazies that went there.

Anyway, New York had always been especially great for people watching, but I just couldn't concentrate. I had come to New York with big dreams of becoming famous, but I quickly realised how naïve I had been. I was supposed to be cheer-leading in Kentucky but as soon as I got there, I knew it wasn't for me, so I moved to the 'Big Apple'. I didn't think that it'd be hard for a girl as hot and as talented as me to be discovered, but it turns out I'm not as special as I thought. That was a HUGE blow to my ego.  
I never thought it would happen, but I was living with Berry and Lady Hummel, and it wasn't actually too bad. I'd managed not to murder either or them, and I hadn't_ badly _injured them either. So what if Rachel had 'slipped in the shower' when she refused to let me have my own shelf in the fridge? She was fine now, and at least she knows not to mess with me any more.  
Shifting to cross one leg over the other, I exhaled sharply, idly staring ahead as my breath clouded in front of my face. It hung there briefly before being snatched up and away by the bitter wind into the drizzly New York air. I diverted my gaze and watched curiously as some poor moron walked past the bus stop where I was sitting, sporting a ridiculous pink Mohawk, way crazier than the dead squirrel that Puck had always insisted on wearing while we were at high school. I laughed to myself. Usually I'd make a comment to store in my vast warehouse of snarky remarks, probably along the lines of genetically mutated porcupine, but I just didn't feel like it. I knew exactly why my enthusiasm had been drained, but I really didn't want to admit it to myself.

The truth was, I'd been feeling distracted ever since Mr Schue's fiasco of a wedding. Well, fiasco for him, life-altering night for me. All through the event, my best frenemy, Quinn, had been dropping pretty obvious hints and compliments for me to interpret in my own way. Unfortunately, I must've read her signals wrong because even after what I considered to be a wonderfully passionate night with the gorgeous girl I had fantasised about since the beginning of high school, it was apparently just a 'one time thing'. I'd never had my hopes raised and then crushed so violently. Ever. Let alone in one night.

I needed to hide my feelings as my heart practically ripped in to millions of pieces, so I made a 'typically Santana' remark and requested that it be a 'two time thing'. I don't know why I did that. Firstly, I probably sounded like a creep, and secondly, I knew it'd just hurt even more. Going again, knowing that my last chance of a future with Quinn had just been shattered was like rubbing a ton of salt into a huge open wound… and then covering the wound in petrol… and then setting fire to it. I guess I just wanted to cherish what little time I had with her before it was too late. I made sure to play my A game so she had something amazing to remember me by. To Quinn, it was just experimental, drunken sex, but to me, it was making love to the girl of my dreams, the epitome of perfection. To know that she didn't feel the same was the worst feeling in the world, although worst feeling in the world was still the understatement of the century. I'd never experienced pain like it, even when _mi abuela_ had disowned me.

I guess that's why I love people watching; you get to wonder about how other people's hearts have been crushed. That might sound pretty sadistic, but I just mean knowing that you're not the only one to have fallen for someone forbidden makes it less painful. Only slightly, but it was something.

I sighed heavily as my bus pulled up. I stood and boarded in a trance, my head still in the clouds. I didn't even glance at the poor schmuck's I'd have to share my oxygen with and for the rest of the journey home, I imagined what life with Quinn would have been like. If only she had felt the same.

**A/N This is my first story so reviews and constructive criticism is welcome :) It looked much longer when I wrote it but on here it looks really short haha, oh well. Hope it was alright.  
The chapters will increase in length and (hopefully) quality, so please just stick with it, I promise it gets better!**

**As much as I'd like to, I don't own Glee, none of there characters are mine.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Quinn's POV

I heard some sort of beeping in the distance, but it was too far away for me to care. I rolled over and sighed contentedly, trying to get back to sleep despite the horrible springs in the mattress digging into my ribs, but I couldn't; the noise just kept getting louder. I grumbled in annoyance. _Couldn't a girl get any god damn sleep these days? Jeez_. Lazily I flopped an arm out over the edge of my crappy hotel bed, searching blindly for my phone to turn off the infernal beeping. When I couldn't find it, I propped myself up on one elbow and cautiously opened my eyes, instantly regretting it.  
Blinding white sunlight filled all of my senses and I could see nothing; it was as if a stun grenade had been thrown at my face. I groaned and fell back on to my pillow, hissing and gritting my teeth at the pain as I waited for my vision to clear. I cursed the cheap curtains of the hotel for letting so much sun into the room at such an ungodly hour.  
Finally I was blessed once more with the gift of sight and I managed to turn the alarm off on my phone. I paused for a moment and gazed forlornly at my background. It was a picture of Santana and I at Mr Schue's wedding. I had to say, we both looked gorgeous but Santana looked especially breath taking; red was definitely her colour. Tears prickled in my eyes but I defiantly blinked them away, refusing to be so weak. Why did she affect me so much? How could losing contact with someone that wasn't even mine hurt _so_ bad? Sure, she was my best friend, but I didn't cry over Britt or Rachel who I never saw either. So why could I not bear to remember the wedding? I knew the answer, but it was so stupid, so ridiculous, that I refused to believe it.  
It affected me so much because that was the night that I realised my feelings for Santana. I'd always_ liked _her, but I assumed it was just a stupid crush because seriously, who _wouldn't _have a crush on that gorgeous Latina? But as the night went on and we went up to the hotel room, I realised that it couldn't be just a crush; crushes weren't that meaningful or passionate. I realised on that night that I had fallen in love with my best friend.  
After my epiphany, I had told her that our night together was just a one time thing, in an attempt to get her to tell me that she wanted it to be _more_ than just a fling. Stupid logic, I know, but I had a messed up way of dealing with my feelings. I wanted her to tell me that she loved me like I loved her, that she wanted me as more than just an experiment. But no, I was just a night of easy sex to her, just another one of her freaking _play things_. Her smug mask didn't even flinch as I told her it was a mistake, she even had the nerve to laugh and make a joke! I played along and allowed myself to indulge in one last round of pleasure before I had to let go of my soul mate. Santana and I understood each other like nobody else ever could which was ironic, considering how stubborn and ignorant we both were when it came to discussing feelings.  
I hadn't seen her since the wedding and I didn't want to. It would be way too painful, plus, I was trying to move on and let go, so seeing her wouldn't exactly do my aching heart any favours. The only connection I had to her now was the pictures and memories. After all, she was cheer-leading in Kentucky and I was transferring to New York. We were miles apart.  
I flopped back on my bed and rubbed my eyes. My heart still ached and my feelings were raw, but I was used to it by now. The only thing that could cure my heartbreak these days was bacon, which thankfully the hotel served until 11. I hauled myself out of bed and began preparation for the day of moving in to my new apartment.  
I stretched and groaned loudly as my bones popped into place. I had made a few calls to some old friends, Rachel and Kurt, and as they were living in New York, they had agreed to help me move in and show me around. A day with them would be interesting; they were so similar to an old married couple with their constant bickering it was uncanny. I chuckled. It was going to be a very long day indeed.

* * *

Santana's POV

"Santana, get your ass up now!" Rachel's whiny voice was accompanied by an incessant thumping on my bedroom door. I mumbled an incoherent response and flipped my pillow over. I smiled to myself; the cold side was the best.  
"SANTANA!" Uh-oh, angry hobbit.  
"Whoa, calm your tits Rach, I'll be up in a sec," I stifled a yawn during the second half of my sentence. Rachel made an indignant huffing noise outside my room and I heard a door slam. I smirked, satisfied with the reaction. She was so easily offended, I wouldn't be surprised if she'd run off crying to Kurt. The thought made my smirk grow into a grin. So what if I enjoyed causing people pain?  
"Please remind me why I'm getting up at this ridiculous hour," I called to Kurt. Or Rachel. Whoever was listening. I propped myself up against the headboard of my bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.  
"Because we're helping someone move in. You may have had us when you came to New York but for a lot of people, this new city is lonely. And since you act like you're so tough and strong, we thought you'd be able to help," it was Kurt's girly voice that replied. I could hear the teasing behind his words. Why did I need to help some loser move in, were they too pathetic to do it themselves? And why did Rachel and Kurt have to be so cryptic and not tell me who was moving to New York? Whenever I asked for the mystery person's name, they would share a knowing smile and change the subject. It was really starting to piss me off.  
I slid myself out of bed and padded over to the door. "Who is it that's moving? I swear to god if you avoid my question again I'll-"  
"You'll what?"  
"I'll go all Lima heights on your sorry ass," I appeared behind Kurt who was sat alone in the kitchen. The infamous Lopez smirk graced my lips and my arms were crossed. Kurt laughed his distinctive, fabulous laugh and wrapped a slender arm around my shoulders. "You'll see who it is in a bit. Patience is a virtue dear Santana," he kissed my cheek, winked and skipped away into the living room, to watch some stupid 'next top model' show no doubt. He was so adorable, I couldn't get mad at him. I searched around for Rachel so that I could grill her for information instead, but I could hear her singing in the shower and the thought of talking to her while she was naked, even through a wall, made me cringe. I sighed and decided to be patient for once. Maybe this mystery person wouldn't be a_ total_ loser.

Half an hour later we were walking along the streets of NY. Despite being here for months already, I still couldn't get over the sheer size and noise of the place. Kurt was right; new movers could easily get lost and lonely.  
We approached a tall metal and glass building, and I watched as a moving van unloaded the last few boxes on to the sidewalk. The guy that was lifting the boxes turned to a tall slim blonde girl and exchanged words. Kurt, Rachel and I were still too far away to be able to make out faces, and the blonde girl was facing away from us, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew this girl. She leant down to pick something up and my eyes were drawn to her perfect ass, and all previous thoughts were erased. Damn. I grinned, maybe today wouldn't be too bad after all.

**A/N Reviews are welcome :) Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Quinn's POV

"Those are the last boxes, miss,"  
"Thank you sir," I winked, flashing my trademark Fabray smile and watching in amusement as the man squirmed. "How much do I owe you?" I was oozing confidence and it was easy to tell that the poor man was flustered.  
"Um, no charge for a pretty lady like you," he attempted a charming smile, but it turned into a grimace. I laughed. He was intimidated by me, how cute. I was happy to see that I hadn't lost my touch. "That's very kind of you, sir," I batted my eyelashes.  
"No worries miss, see you later," the middle aged man gulped and hopped into his lorry, all too eager to get away and have a nice cold shower. I loved having that effect on people; it was flattering. I bent down to pick up one of the smaller boxes, ready to carry upstairs, when I heard footsteps behind me. I smiled and put the box down. More helpers for me! "Hello my lovely," I heard Kurt's distinct voice and I couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across my face. There was no denying how happy I was to see my high school friends again.  
I turned around, beaming at Rachel and Kurt, until my eyes landed on the unexpected guest. The grin immediately fell from my face. Kurt and Rachel attacked me with hugs, oblivious to my sudden inner turmoil, and I was too stunned to reciprocate their display of affection. I thought I heard Rachel ask how I was doing, but I couldn't form a response. My brain wouldn't let me.  
"Um, Quinn?" Santana said meekly. It wasn't a statement; it was a question, as if _she_, the cause of my heart ache, couldn't believe that it was actually me. I was in the exact same situation. I panicked. How was this happening? Why hadn't Rachel and Kurt told me? I was only capable of one word, a name that I never thought I'd say again.  
"Santana?" I croaked. It felt like all the air had been squeezed out of my lungs and my heart rate increased exponentially. I stared at her, my mouth unashamedly agape. I knew that Rachel and Kurt were still near us, but I couldnt tear my eyes away from the girl stood infront of me. She looked stunning to say the least. Her black leggings clung to her perfectly toned legs, her loose blue t-shirt hung off of her, and somehow she managed to make it look incredibly sexy. My eyes reached her face and I felt my breath catch in my throat. I examined all of her features slowly, greedily; I never thought I'd see her in person again.  
I took in the raven locks that perfectly framed her face. I soaked up the sight of her plump red lips, her smooth tan skin, her cute button nose, and finally, her deep brown eyes. There had always been something I loved about her eyes but I could never quite put my finger on it, and today was no exception. I watched as her gaze fell to roam my body too and I felt my cheeks grow hotter. She looked at me with the same bashful expression that I was sure to be wearing on my own face. Both of us were blushing and at a loss for words, our HBIC masks, forgotten.  
"So um, Quinn, where do you want these boxes?" Rachel asked hesitantly. No one replied. "Quinn?" _Quinn?_ Oh, that's right, she was talking to me.  
"Sorry Rach, I was, um, yeah. Just throw them in my room, I'll sort them out later." I laughed nervously and hastily tossed her the keys to my apartment. I then quickly resumed my examination of Santana, paying careful attention to her impossibly long legs...  
Snickering was coming from Kurt and Rachel, but before I could respond, Santana beat me too it.  
"What's so funny short stack? Porcelain?" She hissed, her voice dangerously low. It was so sweet, she was snapping at Rachel and Kurt to defend me. I chuckled as the two flinched at Santana's icy tone. Neither of them replied. "That's what I thought. Now go and move Quinn's stuff like the good little peasants you are, and I'll be up in a minute." They scurried away.  
"Thanks," I grinned. I'd missed her sharp words, and it was nice that for once they weren't directed at me. Santana smiled and it melted my heart. We stood in silence for a moment, unsure of whether to hug or say anything. It felt like we had so much to discuss, question number one being, why the hell was Santana in New York!? I spent a few more precious seconds trying to formulate a question, until Santana spoke instead. "Shall we?" Shall we what? Sleep together? Be friends? Be more than friends? I must've looked as confused as I felt because she started laughing, "god Q, you looked like I just asked you to marry me or something! I meant shall we start taking the boxes up?" She gestured to my new apartment building, still smirking, with her perfectly manicured hands.  
"Oh, um, sure, thanks," well that was embarrassing. Since when did a simple question turn me into an awkward puddle of mush? She hadn't called me Q in years and I could feel my heart melting even more. A goofy grin spread across my face, along with a crimson blush. Smooth move Fabray,_ smooth move_.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
Santana's POV

Holy shit. Quinn Fabray, in the flesh. I still didn't know how this had happened; did Rachel and Kurt plan this? Was this part of some scheme?  
I still couldn't work it out as I followed her up the stairs to her new apartment. My heart was thumping and black spots danced in my eyes. I felt like I was going to pass out. Quinn Fabray!? I didn't know what was in the box that I was carrying, but I hoped it wasn't fragile in case I blacked out and dropped it. The perfect view of Quinn's oh-so touchable butt wasn't helping my nerves either.  
We went up another flight stairs and I tried to concentrate on my surroundings instead of Quinn. The walls were a standard off white colour and the building itself seemed pretty modern, with a lot of glass, metal and wood. I had to hand it to her, Quinn had a good taste in accommodation. If we were to ever get married, she'd certainly be doing the décor. I grinned as an image of me sitting on a couch eating potato chips and Quinn coming through the door saying the cliché 'honey I'm home' flashed through my mind.  
I smiled sadly at the bitter-sweet thought. It wasn't to be, that much was clear. After all, Quinn was the straight catholic daddy's girl, and I was just a drunken mistake. I felt tears begin to well in my eyes but I stubbornly blinked them away.  
Quinn had stopped walking and was standing patiently outside an oak door with '4a' hanging in silver, waiting for me to catch up. She looked at me, concern clouding her perfect features. "What's wrong, San? You look a bit red?"  
"What? Nothing," I lied. Quinn laughed. "Tired after walking up so many stairs, eh Lopez?" She joked.  
I laughed too and said with my usual confident air, "you know from experience that my stamina is great, Fabray," and with a wink and a smirk, I nudged the already ajar door open and swept into the bare apartment. I glanced behind me to see Quinn standing there, staring at me, her mouth agape but a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. There was also another emotion in her face, but I couldn't decipher it. I chuckled and surveyed my surroundings.  
The apartment was spacious and relatively bare, which was to be expected. To my immediate right was the kitchen, ahead of me was what I presumed to be the living room, and to my left I saw the bedroom. I guessed that the bathroom must join on to Quinn's room.  
"What do you think?" Quinn smiled at me. I felt my knees go weak at the sight of her, all happy and excited.  
"It looks great Quinn, I look forward to staying over and gate crashing," I joked. "But seriously, it's a nice place tubbers," I smiled genuinely at her.  
"Thanks San. And just so you know, if you did stay over, it wouldn't be gate crashing," she returned my smile and then skipped into the bedroom. I felt my heart flutter in my chest. She wouldn't mind if I stayed over? I might just have to take her up on that offer.  
I heard Kurt and Rachel talking to Quinn excitedly, so I walked over to the bedroom and poked my head around the door. Kurt was squealing and jumping around animatedly, evidently excited about Quinn living so close to us. "Whoa, lady Hummel needs to be sedated before she expires," I smirked. Quinn laughed but the other two just scowled at me. "Aw come on guys, it's just a joke, and if you're still sore from when I handed your ass to you on a silver platter outside, I offer you my sincerest apologies," I did a mock bow and hoped that my sarcasm was evident. Santana Lopez doesn't apologise often and I didn't want them getting the wrong impression. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Quinn holding in her laughter, and I knew that if we made eye contact, we'd both lose it.  
Rachel sighed and went to hug Quinn, who winked at me over Rachel's shoulder. I felt my stomach tie itself into knots and I had to stop myself from throwing Rachel off of Quinn and kissing the blonde all over her god damn perfect head.  
After receiving huge thank yous from Quinn and both hugging her, Rachel and Kurt left without saying a word to me. I laughed at their immaturity but said nothing to them either.  
With a nervous jolt, I realised Quinn and I were alone in her bedroom. This would be interesting. I put on a fake smile that I hoped would disguise the pain in my chest at being so physically close to her but so emotionally far away. With my mask intact, I walked over to Quinn. "So, which box shall I unload first, Fabray?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
Santana's POV

"I don't even know why I agreed to helping you. If this is what happens when I'm nice, I think I'll go back to being a bitch thank you very much," I groaned as I lifted yet another pile of books on to Quinn's newly assembled shelf. How much did this girl read?  
"San, you could just compromise and be a nice bitch, quit complaining," Quinn teased. I shot her a scowl and she smirked. God, even a freaking _smirk_ looked sexy on her.  
I decided to wipe the smug look off of her face and an idea formed in my head. I glanced at all of the boxes strewn around Quinn's room, waiting to be unpacked. Upon seeing exactly what I wanted, I strode quickly over to a small box on the far side of the room and opened it, digging around inside. I lifted out a vase and some sort of weird glass owl ornament thing. I smiled at how cute she was; my girl had some odd shit. I set the fragile objects on her bedside table and grinned evilly. Quinn wasn't paying any attention to me so I picked up the box, which was now considerably lighter, and crept up behind her. She was still intently focusing on straightening up her books, so I took that moment to strike. I lifted the box over her head and tipped the contents all over my best friend. I cackled as hundreds of polystyrene peanuts rained down on her, and I laughed even harder at Quinn's expression when she turned around. Her eyebrows were knitted together and a cute little crinkle appeared on the bridge of her nose, it was utterly adorable.  
"What the hell San!?" She had initially looked angry but when she saw me doubled over with laughter, her expression softened. My stomach muscles ached but it was so worth it. A worryingly devious smile spread across Quinn's lips and my laughter died away.  
I knew that look. Something bad was about to happen. She walked right up close to me and placed her hands on my shoulders, probably trying to intimidate me, but I stood my ground. I watched with fascination and anticipation as she leant her face closer to mine. Oh my god, was this really happening? I always thought I'd have to make the first move but now-  
Quinn shoved me violently backwards on to her bed and then clambered on top. Her hands gripped my hips and I couldn't help the soft moan the left my lips. I was dazed and confused but I didn't care. Quinn was on top of me and that was all that mattered. She leant towards me and I tried to lift up my hands and stroke her cheek, but she pinned my arms down and made a soft tutting noise. I felt my cheeks get hotter. I didn't even know that I could blush, given my complexion, but somehow Quinn managed it. She continued leaning in until our faces were mere centimetres apart. She looked into my eyes, gorgeous hazel on dark brown. My heart rate increased and I desperately hoped that it wasn't noticeable. She studied my face for a moment and an unreadable expression briefly flitted across her features before her eyes locked on my mouth and she slowly closed the gap. Her lips grazed mine, just briefly for a moment, before she pulled away and rolled off of me.  
What the hell just happened? Quinn looked at me through her long eyelashes, smirking and I immediately understood. She was just playing games. I couldn't help the wave of disappointment that washed over me and I mentally kicked myself for getting my hopes up. I moved to sit cross legged and scowled at the she-devil. As if Quinn could ever want me.  
She winked, blew a kiss to me and then turned to resume her aligning of books. I heard her chuckle softly. "I hope you're going to clean up the mess you've made sweetie, I'm certainly not doing it for you,"  
My eyes travelled to the floor by Quinn's feet and I remembered my little prank. "Fine," I grumbled in annoyance and bent down to begin the tedious task of picking up each individual little piece of polystyrene.  
"Good girl. So when are you planning on getting 'Quinn's bitch' tattooed on your forehead?" She looked at me and grinned. I couldn't think of a witty reply so I just threw a ball of polystyrene at her. She laughed and turned away.  
We spent the rest of the day exchanging banter and generally mucking around, just like old times. I realised how much I missed her, but I also couldn't ignore the dull ache in my chest.  
Neither of us spoke about the cruel joke she had played on me, although I thought of nothing else. I wished so much that it was real, but considering Quinn didn't mention it, it was obviously just a joke. Nothing more, nothing less. I sighed. I was just happy to be part of her life again, and I'd take whatever I could get.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
Quinn's POV

The past few days had been perfect. Santana had stayed round mine a lot recently and it was just like old times. She was still the sarcastic bitch that I knew and loved, but I felt that she had matured since our last encounter and we were closer than ever. She even helped me completely unpack all of my stuff and we managed to avoid any more incidents involving polystyrene peanuts and pushing on beds. Not that I'd complain if we _did_ end up in bed again.  
We talked about a lot of things over the days, like how we had both ended up in New York. Santana was studying law and I art. She was going to make a great lawyer, she loved a good argument and I could think of no one better for the job. I also discovered that Santana was single which was perfect.  
I know it's stupid, but a small flower of hope had started blooming ever since I found out that Santana was unattached. At least there were no complicated relationships to get in our way. The question that puzzled me though, was whether or not she felt the same. I never ever considered her liking me to be a possibility until we had briefly kissed. Santana didn't struggle or move away like I had expected, which I took to be a positive sign.  
We were at my place again; it was easier to talk without Rachel and Kurt analysing our every word. They were convinced that we liked each other and wouldn't leave us alone. That was until Santana had put them in their place. The memory still made me laugh.  
Anyway, Santana was choosing a film while I sat on the bed, lazily sketching for my art coursework. I didn't realise Santana had already chosen a film until I felt the bed dip violently next to me. She had catapulted herself on to the bed, causing my pencil to scrape right through the middle of my sketch. "Thanks San, much appreciated,"  
"Huh?"  
I laughed. "Eloquently put,"  
Santana just stared at me blankly so I sighed and gave up. "What film did you pick?"  
"Pitch perfect, I heard it's really good, although I bet we could sing ten times better than these sloppy excuses for women," Santana winked and her face was momentarily bathed in dazzling orange light as the sun dipped below the infamous New York skyline. My bedroom window had a perfect view of the horizon, although it was nothing compared to the view in front of me. She was the definition of perfect. Her beautiful deep brown eyes were shining as they looked back at me, and I had to fight the urge to close the short distance between our lips. Every time I looked at her mouth I remembered the brief moment when our lips had met...  
I saw her eyes dart down to the open book on my lap, at the sketch with the line through it, and realisation dawned on her face. "Oh my god Q I'm so sorry! I didn't realise... Hey is that a naked dude?" I laughed at her feeble attempt of an apology.  
"Yeah, we're doing life modelling at the moment,"  
"Oh really?" Santana wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I playfully slapped her arm.  
"Yes Santana, I have to draw naked people, now grow up," I teased. She could be so immature.  
"You could draw me if you want," Santana said casually. Hold up. Draw Santana naked!?  
"Umm, well I, uhh, how would, maybe but, um..." I trailed off and Santana cracked up. I loved her laugh. It definitely made making a fool of myself worth it.  
"Wow, the ice Queen herself is speechless. I never thought I'd see the day. What's the big deal Q, we've seen eachother naked before," she moved her hand on to my thigh and I swallowed audibly.  
"It's different San. Anyway, you're not supposed to draw people you have feelin-" I stopped myself before I ruined everything that we had built back up over the past few days. I couldn't risk her finding out yet, it could ruin what we had managed to salvage, and I'd much rather suffer in silence than jeopardise our rekindled friendship.  
"What was that?" Santana whispered. She didn't take her hand off of my leg, which I took as a good sign.  
"Um, nothing. I was just saying that you're not supposed to draw people you know because you'll look over their flaws so you won't be drawing accurately," it was true, and I hoped that it covered up my mistake. Santana still didn't look convinced and her gaze lingered on me for a bit longer than necessary before she changed the subject, looking towards the TV.  
"You know, we've missed like half of the film because of your ramblings," she teased and jokingly pinched my cheek.  
"Sorry," I blushed and looked awkwardly down at my lap. At least she had dropped the subject.  
"No worries, it was probably a load of crap anyway. Come here," she smiled warmly and opened her arms. I happily snuggled up next to her, resting my head on her chest. We cuddled through the rest of the film, Santana's arms wrapped around me, playing with my hair, while my hand lay on her toned stomach, absentmindedly tracing patterns. I felt completely safe and at home in her arms. Eventually we fell asleep, both of us content.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
Third person POV

"When did Santana leave for the store?"  
"About 2 minutes ago, we have approximately 8 minutes until she returns. Time to plan and initiate phase one of the Quinntana plan,"  
Rachel and Kurt were sat opposite each other at the kitchen table in their New York residence. In front of them was a piece of paper covered in writing and diagrams. They were taking this very seriously.  
"Okay, let's cut the crap. We need to find out if Quinn would actually let Santana live with her. There's no point pretending to kick her out if she doesn't even stay with Quinn; our whole plan would be ruined," said Rachel in a hushed tone. Despite Santana's absence, she still felt the need to whisper. It wouldn't be unlike the crafty Latina to have some sort of spying equipment set up in the apartment. It may sound crazy, but it was Santana all over.  
"Why don't we just ask her?" Said Kurt, frowning.  
"Because that's too obvious silly. Gosh, you'd make a terrible spy," Kurt pretended to take offence before smiling and shrugging. "Alright, so we trick Quinn into letting San live with her?"  
"You're learning fast Kurt, I'm proud," Rachel winked. "So after we've established that Quinn has enough room and patience for Santana, she is a handful, we pretend to fight with her and kick her out? Then she can live with Quinn and our plan will be in motion,"  
"Perfect, we can discuss the next stage when we get to it. We shouldn't plan it too early in case we jinx it,"  
"Good plan gay-man!"  
"Hey!" Kurt laughed. "It's been a pleasure matchmaking with you, madam," Kurt said in a terrible impression of a British accent.  
"And you sir," Rachel grinned, also doing a horrendously inaccurate accent. Kurt began bouncing around in his seat like a toddler and clapping excitedly.  
"Yay, I can't wait for them to be together, I feel like Cupid!" Kurt giggled.  
They high fived across the table just as the door to their home juddered open, accompanied by some very angry sounding Spanish.  
"¡Puerta estúpida! Odio la puerta." Santana growled in frustration as she struggled through the door, her arms full of over-stuffed shopping bags. Once through, she kicked the door viciously shut and then turned to Kurt and Rachel who were both staring at her in amusement. "Are you just going to sit there and gape or are you going to get off of your pale asses and help me?" She snapped.  
"We definitely shouldn't talk to Quinn until Santana's calmed down, she might hear us talking to her and go ape shit, you know how paranoid she is," whispered Kurt out of the corner of his mouth. Rachel nodded, "she might guess that we're up to something if we talk to Quinn, she has her 'Mexican third eye' after all," and the two exchanged a look and a nod before standing to help.  
"Gracias idiotas," Santana said as she roughly dumped the bags onto the counter. "If anyone needs me I'll be in my room. Try not to miss me too bad, I don't want to have to talk to Lady Hummel and hobbit any more than necessary. Adios," she swept out of the room, her footsteps echoing until a door slammed with such force, the pictures on the walls of their apartment rattled.  
Kurt and Rachel glanced at each other again, but this time they grinned. Operation Quinntana was going to be great.

**A/N Sorry for the short chapter but I needed to fit this in somewhere!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
Quinn's POV

I was sat cross legged on my bed, in my own little world, happily drawing, when my laptop started ringing. I flipped open the screen and smiled when I saw the Skype icon come up. 'Incoming call from Santana Lopez'. I eagerly pressed accept.  
"Hey San, what's up?" I smiled at the webcam on my MacBook. I missed seeing my best friend. We were both so caught up with studying that we couldn't arrange to actually meet, so instead we had 'Skype dates', as Santana adorably called them. It was much easier, but I hated not being able to hug her or smell her intoxicating perfume.  
"Rachel and Kurt have pissed me off so I came to talk to you," she replied, readily returning my smile. My heart always melted at the sight of her happy, and it was even better when I was the reason.  
"Aww, you're a sweetheart, coming to talk to Mama Quinn," I teased. She laughed and nodded slightly, her cheeks reddening. I felt my cheeks grow hotter too and once again my heart went to mush. I really needed to get over my craziness; it was just a laugh for god sake! But somehow it made my palms sweat and my stomach tie itself into knots. Had she blushed too?  
"So what did they do to piss you off this time?" I asked, trying to hide the effect she had on me. I was sure that my face was still a tell-tale red.  
Whatever had annoyed her was probably something small; Santana was renowned for her short temper.  
"I came home from shopping and the door was being stupid, and then Rachel and Kurt were like, laughing at me and then they looked all suspicious, like they'd been doing something they shouldn't have,"  
"Poor baby," I chuckled. She stuck up her middle finger in response, which made me laugh. "How did they seem suspicious?"  
"I don't know. I just sensed it. And my Mexican third eye is never wrong," she said, dead serious. I still found it cute when she said about her 'Mexican third eye'. She had always pretended that she had one, ever since we first met, and I loved that she still said it now. It made me feel all nostalgic.  
"Fair enough, I know not to doubt your supernatural abilities,"  
"And don't you forget it," Santana snapped her fingers and I smiled.  
"How could I forget?"  
She flashed a toothy grin my way, which I returned, butterflies erupting in my stomach. How could she have this effect on me? She didn't show any signs that I had any effect whatsoever on her, apart from one silly little blush that was probably just the lighting. My heart sank. I had been stupid to ever think that she might like me.  
"Whatcha thinking about Q? You've gone all quiet. Not that I'm complaining," she joked.  
"Oh, nothing," I lied.  
"I know when you're lying honey, but I won't press you for details. I've got to go now, but maybe I could see you soon? You know, actually in person?" She smiled hopefully.  
"Yeah, that'd be great," I said, genuinely meaning my words. I loved spending time with her, even if it did worsen my heart ache. She was a drug, and I was the addict. I knew all too well that it would do more long term damage, but I loved the short term rush too much to let go.  
"Okay babe, have fun doing whatever you were doing before I interrupted," babe? She'd never called me that before, and I couldn't stop the giddy grin that spread across my face. "What's got you so smiley?" She asked. She was smiling too and I absolutely loved that it was because of me.  
"Oh nothing," I hated deceiving her, but it was necessary. One day she'd know. "See you later sweetie,"  
"Bye babe," her heart-wrenchingly gorgeous smile was the last thing I saw before I clicked the 'disconnect' button.  
I stared at the blank screen for a few moments, still in awe of Santana's perfection, until I saw something fall and splash onto the sketch book in my lap. I frowned and then touched my cheek. It was wet, and I realised with a pang of sadness that I was crying. My heart hurt and there was nothing I could do about it; the only person that would ever be able to help was also the person that had caused the pain in the first place. I pushed my laptop and sketch pad away and flopped face down onto my pillow, as I had done many times before. Tears flowed freely and vicious sobs wracked my aching body. Why was I cursed to love someone that would never love me back? Why did I have to be in a family where homosexuality would never be accepted? I wasn't even a lesbian, I was straight, and I didn't find girls attractive in that way, apart from Santana. She was my exception, my kryptonite. I wanted to be able to bring her home proudly to my parents as my girlfriend and eventually my wife, but I knew that it wasn't possible. Why did I have to choose between the girl I loved, and my own family? It wasn't fair, and I hated the world because of it.  
Although I guess that it didn't matter that I would never be able to take her home with me, because she wouldn't ever like me back. Maybe I should just give up and find a respectable man that my parents would like. I guess could call up Sam, my Dad adored him, as did my mother, and he was a great guy, any girl would be lucky to have him. There was one huge, deal breaking problem though: he wasn't Santana.  
The tears kept coming and I eventually cried myself to sleep, my pillow tainted with ruined makeup and raw pain. My beloved sketch pad lay discarded on the floor, a half-finished picture of Santana facing the ceiling. A single tear stain was visible on her lovingly shaded cheek.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
Quinn's POV

I loved pyjama days. It was one of the few times where I could wear my hair in a messy bun and make absolutely no effort whatsoever to look presentable. I was curled up in a blanket on my couch reading when my phone rang, interrupting the peace and quiet of my technology-free day. I moodily glanced at the caller ID and reluctantly answered.  
"Hey Quinn," Rachel chirped over the phone.  
"Hey Rach," I was frowning. Why didn't she just come over? We lived really close now and she knew that she didn't need to tell me before she came over, so why was she calling?  
"How are you?" She asked. I could tell that she didn't call to play small talk and catch up.  
"Cut the bullshit, why are you calling Rach? You know you can just come over," bluntness had always been one of my specialities.  
She laughed nervously, "Can't a girl just call and chat?"  
I pretended to consider for a moment, "no,"  
I heard her sigh, "okay, well Santana has been a bit difficult to get on with at the moment, and what with Brody living with us too, our place is getting a bit crowded," I thought I could tell where she was going with this and my heart was beating faster at the prospect, but I wanted to make sure before I got too excited.  
"And..?" I prompted.  
"Well Kurt and I thought that maybe because you and Santana had been so close recently and you haven't argued too much, that maybe you could move in together? Santana doesn't know that we're asking you in case you say tha-"  
"Okay," I interrupted. A huge grin was plastered on my face and I didn't even bother trying to play it cool. I'd wanted San to live with me for ages but I didn't know if she'd want to or whether I was too annoying or something. Usually she'd just announce that she was moving in, but she didn't with me, so would she actually want to?  
"Oh, really?" Rachel sounded surprised; she probably hadn't expected me to agree so quickly.  
"Yup," I popped the p. I heard Kurt giggling in the background and I laughed as Rachel whispered for him to be quiet, as if I couldn't hear. "Hi Kurt," I chuckled. I heard a muffled 'whoops' and then contact of skin on skin as Rachel presumably slapped his arm. Oh how I loved these two.  
"So is this what you've been plotting? Trying to get rid of Santana?" I joked.  
"What do you mean, has she said something to you? When di-"  
"Hey, calm it, all she said was that you two were acting weird,"  
"Oh, okay," Rachel muttered. "Shall we go and tell Santana or do you want to?"  
"I can do it, I want to gauge her reaction. Tell her I'm coming over in a minute," I couldn't wait to ask her, but a wave of anxiety washed over me. What if she said no?  
"Okay Quinn, see you in a bit,"  
"Bye Rach, bye Kurt," I ended the call before throwing my blanket on the floor and running into my bedroom to find decent something to wear. I threw on a loose green T-shirt and black leggings with a pair of white converse and a denim jacket.  
I remembered once when Santana said that I looked good in green, so now I made an extra effort to wear it when I saw her. I quickly did my makeup but I left my hair in a messy bun. I was sure she wouldn't care; she seemed to like me when I left myself looking more natural, just like how I loved her natural side. I smiled at the thought of seeing her, and I was in such a hurry to leave that I tripped on my way to the front door. God, pull yourself together, Fabray.

Within 10 minutes of talking to Rachel, I was standing outside their door, breathing heavily. I had run all the way in my excitement but was regretting it; my face was red and I was probably sweating like a pig. This whole situation was crazy, I mean it was almost as if Rachel had planned it, how else could this have happened? Nothing like this ever happened in real life, it was surreal.  
I checked my appearance one last time in the reflection of my phone and knocked. Almost immediately, the door slid open to reveal a worried-looking Santana. She was absolutely gorgeous and suddenly what little composure and integrity I had, fell away. My hands began to get clammy and my knees were weak at the sight of her. She silently stepped aside to let me pass and I could smell her beautiful vanilla scent. I associated vanilla with home and safety thanks to her. She opened her arms and I fell into her comforting embrace. We stood there for a moment, just hugging and enjoying each other's company before I pulled back and looked into her eyes, my hands still on her waist. "Hey," I whispered. She looked stunning and I was suddenly breathless again, even though I hadn't run anymore.  
"Hey babe," she smiled at me and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. This simple action sent a tingle through my body and a goofy grin spread across my face. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Her voice was so gentle and caring; it was so different from the voice she used around other people. It was lovely when we could be alone, we were completely different people; the HBIC masks were gone and we could be dorky and lame around each other which I loved.  
"Can we sit down?" I remembered why I was here and my nerves took over again.  
"Sure," she took my hand and we sat on the couch facing each other. I steeled myself for any possible responses and began to speak.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 11  
Santana's POV

I was waiting nervously in the kitchen for Quinn, I had no idea what she wanted to speak to me about. Was it good? Bad? Rachel and Kurt had gone out so it would just be us two alone, and I was grateful. I began to pace, wondering how long she would be, before I heard a sharp knock on the door. I smiled; she had a certain pattern to her knock.  
I ran over to the door and pulled it open. She looked slightly flustered but still glad to see me, which I was happy about; it meant that whatever she wanted to talk to me for couldn't be too bad. She was absolutely beautiful. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a messy bun and she had very little makeup on, which I was glad about; I loved her natural look, but she was gorgeous no matter what. Her t-shirt brought out the green in her eyes which was the reason I loved her wearing that colour the most.  
I wordlessly stepped aside for her to pass and then held out my arms for a hug. She immediately responded and I felt her slender arms encircle my waist, sending shivers up my spine.  
She pulled back after a moment and looked at me, smiling. "Hey," she said softly.  
"Hey babe," a wisp of hair had escaped her bun and I tucked it behind her ear. "What did you want to talk to me about?"  
"Can we sit down?" She suddenly looked nervous, so I took her hand and lead her over to the sofa. I watched her intently as she drew in a shaky breath and I soothingly rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb.  
"Okay, I'm just going to say it, I know you don't like beating around the bush," she smiled. I stayed silent and smiled back to her, signalling that it was okay for her to continue. "I was talking to Rach and Kurt and they were saying that your place was getting a bit crowded, and I thought that considering as I'm living on my own that, um," she paused to draw in another breath.  
My heart was working double time and I had to stop myself from doing a happy dance; I'd wanted this for so long and I couldn't believe that she was actually asking me. The thought of spending so much more time with her was perfect, and maybe I could even get her to fall in love with me. Stop it Santana, baby steps.  
"So erm, would you want to come live with me?" Her voice went high pitched towards the end and it was the most adorable thing I'd ever heard. I threw my arms around her neck, but I'd misjudged my force and I pushed her backwards so that I was laying on top of her, although I didn't care, I was too happy.  
"Yes! Of course! This is going to be so amazing Q," I gushed. It must have sounded pathetic but I really couldn't have cared less, we could be dorky around each other. She laughed and grinned at me, showing her perfect white teeth. My gaze travelled to her soft lips as her smile faded, and then back up to her beautiful hazel eyes. Our gaze met briefly, and in that moment I was prepared to risk it all. I started leaning my head towards her when I heard a loud knock at the door. I jumped up and sat on the other end of the couch, away from Quinn. She had sat up abruptly too, and the door slid open.  
"Hello you two! I hope we didn't interrupt anything?" I sighed in exasperation and scowled at Rachel and Kurt who had just skipped through the door, seemingly oblivious. Before I could unleash the biting remark that had formed on my tongue, Quinn spoke, "nope, it's fine, great in fact," she beamed. "San will be living with me now," her face practically glowed and I felt my heart swell with love and adoration. This girl was perfection, and she had to be mine.  
Kurt was squealing and clapping, while Rachel was jumping up and down, but I didn't care about them; my eyes were fixed on Quinn. I knew I didn't deserve her, she was too good for me, but I'd be damned if I suppressed my feelings forever, I wanted her to know, maybe not now, but some day.  
"That's great! So when will you be going?" Rachel had directed the question at me. I hadn't considered that, would today be too soon? I glanced at Quinn, who shrugged and said, "The sooner the better,"  
I felt like I was going to explode with excitement, so I hopped up, grinning, and dragged Quinn to my room. "You're helping me move my stuff tubbers,"  
She beamed at me and my heart leaped at the thought of seeing her beautiful face every day. I knew it was going to be difficult to live with her and keep my feelings a secret, so I needed a plan of how to tell her, but I also wanted it to be special. I no longer cared if my heart got broken; after all, it couldn't be worse than at Mr Schue's wedding, could it?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 12  
Santana's POV

"What have we got for dinner tonight San?" Quinn called from the living room. I was pottering around in the kitchen, searching through all of the cupboards for something decent to eat. Unfortunately, both of us were really forgetful when it came to food, so even though I'd only been living with Quinn for about a week, we had already forgotten to go shopping on several occasions.  
"I can't find anything unless you want me to cook this dead spider," I snickered, knowing of her hatred for creepy-crawlies. I watched her visibly shiver and I smirked as her nose wrinkled in disgust.  
"Please don't even joke about that San, it's gross," she pouted and I felt myself turn into Santana-putty. Nobody else ever had this effect on me. I loved it and hated it at the same time; I loved it because we could both be dorky around each other so my random mushiness was acceptable, but I hated it because she made me feel vulnerable. No one had ever got as close to me as Quinn, but no one had ever hurt me as much as her either. It was confusing, but that was us, a perfectly dysfunctional pair of best friends. I walked over to the couch and slid down next to her, pulling her in for a hug. I wasn't usually this affectionate with anyone, but once again Quinn was my exception. I was hers too. I knew first hand that she built up ten foot tall walls around her, and I was the only one that she let in, which warmed my icy heart.  
"Sorry Q, I forgot that you don't eat spiders, it was an honest mistake," I joked, still with my arms around her. She pulled back and shot me a scathing look, before snuggling back into my neck, making adorable little happy mumbling noises as she did so. I sighed contentedly and breathed in her delicious scent. She smelled like tropical fruits, which I knew was her shower gel, but there was something else mixed in too, and no matter how hard I tried to describe it properly, there was no name for it. The smell was simply Quinn. It was home, safety.  
"So what takeaway will it be tonight sweetie?" She mumbled sleepily. Bless her, she'd only been lying with her eyes closed for like, a minute but she was already dozing off. University was pushing her to the limit and she needed a nice relaxing break. I felt stab of guilt in my belly as I realised that it was probably my fault that she wasn't getting enough sleep, not just studying. We always ended up talking for hours at night even though we both knew we shouldn't, but living with her was just like one amazingly long sleepover: we didn't get bored of each other, we messed around, played pranks, helped with the others wardrobes and talked for hours about everything and nothing. In the short space of time that we had lived together, I had decided that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, and we would be, she just didn't know it yet. Okay, that sounded really creepy, but whatever, Quinn brought out the stalker within me.  
"San?"  
"Oh, sorry, I was thinking. How about Chinky?"  
"San! You can't call it that!" She laughed and pulled away from my embrace to slap my arm playfully. I grinned and cuddled her again, tickling her sides and laughing at her adorable squeals. Her legs were kicking in the air and she was in hysterics. "Stop it!" She shrieked, practically crying with laughter at this point. I didn't want to push her too much so I relented, revelling in her radiant beauty. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing hard, which I found to be extremely sexy. Our gaze locked for a moment and I watched, mesmerised, as her hazel eyes darkened and an unreadable expression passed over her features, before her belly rumbled loudly, shattering the moment.  
"Is someone hungry?" I teased. She was just the cutest thing.  
"Yup, can you order the 'chinky' please honey?" She looked at me through her long eyelashes, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She knew exactly what effect she had on me.  
I sighed and reluctantly stood up, making a beeline for the bedroom to get my phone. I felt her eyes on me, so I made sure to swing my hips more as I walked. I shot a quick glance over my shoulder and saw Quinn leering unashamedly at my ass. I smiled to myself, proud of the effect I had on her. "You can look but you can't touch, Fabray," I winked and then chuckled as I saw her blush and look down at her lap. She was so precious.

The rest of the evening went perfectly. We played around as usual, bouncing jokes off of each other, feeding each other food and then throwing noodles at the other's face. Same old us.  
I smiled as I lay in bed, replaying everything that had gone on just a few hours previously. Quinn was now asleep in my arms and she looked positively angelic; her smooth skin without a single blemish, her chest rising and falling steadily with each breath, and her plump lips parted slightly in a perfect, natural pout. I watched her sleep often, but tonight she looked especially beautiful. I leant over and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you, Quinn," I whispered, taking a mental picture of her sleeping form, before leaning back on to my pillow and eventually falling into a peaceful, much needed sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12  
Quinn's POV

I awoke the next morning to find Santana's arms wrapped around me and one of her long, smooth legs draped over my body. I loved waking up to this. Ever since she had moved in, we'd been cuddle-buddies and it was perfect, apart from the getting up bit. I hated leaving the bed; it was our sanctuary, somewhere we could talk and cuddle without any interruptions. I checked the time before looking up at her and smiling. Even at 8:30 in the morning without makeup or anything, she looked stunning. I decided that this sleeping angel deserved some pampering; she had been nothing but nice to me and I wanted to show her my appreciation. I tentatively shifted her leg off of me, trying to ignore the feeling that built up in my stomach as I touched the smooth skin of her thigh, and then gently shrugged off her arms. I waited for a moment and held my breath, making sure that she was still asleep, before getting up and changing into my running stuff, which consisted of a blue sports bra, black shorts and trainers. I quickly scribbled out a note and left it on my pillow for Santana to find when she woke up, explaining my absence.  
_ 'Gone for a run, might stop by the store to pick up a few things. See you in a bit sweetie, if you actually wake up before lunchtime that is. Sleep well, Q xx'_  
I kissed her on the forehead, grabbed my iPod and purse before jogging out of the apartment and down the many flights of stairs. I put in my earphones and blasted the '101 running songs' album and set off down the street at a fast pace. As I ran, I remembered the dream that I'd had the previous night.  
_Santana and I were been on the beach. It was a warm night but the breeze had a cold bite to it, so Santana took off her jacket and put it around my shoulders. She cuddled me close and I smiled up at her, looking into the beautiful brown eyes of my wife. I saw her gaze drift down to my lips and she leant in, kissing me softly. It was so realistic, I could taste her strawberry lip balm and I felt her hair tickle my cheek. I placed my hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer as the kiss started to get heated. She shifted so that we were lying down on the sand, me on the bottom and her on top, hovering over me..._  
"Hey watch where you're running sweet cheeks!" An angry driver shouted as I ran in front of his car, crossing the street. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realised I was running across the road without checking that it was clear. I raised my hand in apology and continued on. 'Eye of the tiger' came on my iPod and I grinned, mouthing the words along to the music and thoroughly enjoying the feeling of freedom that running gave me.  
After another 15 minutes of jogging, I stopped outside a store and entered, gathering what I needed before paying, and then hurrying home.  
I checked in to see where Santana was and I smiled. She was sleeping but the note I'd written was in her hand, indicating that she had read it before falling asleep again.  
I walked back to the kitchen, still smiling, and began unloading the shopping bags, filling shelves and stocking the fridge. I then set about cooking Santana breakfast in bed. She deserved to have things done for her every once in a while, so I was cooking her bacon, sausages and fried egg- her favourite breakfast. I wanted her to know how much I valued our friendship and how much I loved her living with me.  
Once everything was cooked and carefully laid out on a tray, I went over to the only bag that I hadn't unpacked and opened it, gently pulling out a dozen red roses. I balanced them carefully in the crook of my arm and picked the tray up, carrying it over to the bedroom.  
"Wakey wakey sleepy head," I cooed.  
She mumbled something and then rolled over. I laughed, "San, wake up sweetie," she still didn't stir, so I played the trump card, "OH MY GOD SAN MY BRA JUST FELL OFF HELP ME!" She jolted out of her sleep and looked over at me, her eyes travelling to my chest. When she realised that I was still fully clothed, she scowled at me and crossed her arms. I laughed and set the tray down on her lap, smiling at her grumpy face. "I'm sorry sweetie, but here's some food to cheer you up," I was hiding the roses behind my back. She hasn't seen them yet and I wanted to surprise her.  
"Thankyou Quinn, but I'd much prefer your boobs," she winked at me and I felt myself blush. "Although you are in your sports bra," her eyes roamed my body hungrily and I coughed, slightly embarrassed but flattered by the attention.  
"Come on, eat up, I didn't cook this for it to go cold," I kissed her forehead before sitting down on the bed next to her feet. She thanked me and dug in, shooting me grateful glances after particularly good mouthfuls. When she was finished, I handed her the roses. "I just wanted to say thank you for putting up with me, I really appreciate it and um, I just wanted you to know that I love y- love living with you," I smiled genuinely at her, hoping she would ignore what I very nearly let slip.  
"Oh my god Q, this is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me, thank you so much," her eyes were shining and her cheeks were flushed a gorgeous red.  
"Anything for you," I whispered, stroking her hair. I didn't know whether she heard, she was gazing at the roses with a faraway look in her eyes. I wanted to spend the rest of my life making her happy, and I would for as long as she let me.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
Santana's POV

After Quinn's sweet gesture, we had both taken it in turns to do something special for the other. We didn't plan it, we just liked making the other happy, which was fine by me; free food and a happy Quinn was perfect.  
But tonight I wanted to do something extra special. I wanted to confess my feelings to her.  
I was nervous as hell, but also excited, after all, the prospect of Quinn liking me back was too much to not get excited about. Although, the alternative reaction was horrifying, but I didn't want to think about that.  
I was in our apartment, busy setting up everything that I'd need for our evening together. I'd laid out blankets and pillows in the living room with a selection of Quinn's favourite DVDs, I'd lit candles and placed them on every counter I could find, I'd placed a bouquet of daffodils in a vase, and I had cooked dinner: one of Quinn's favourites, macaroni cheese with chicken and bacon. Apparently she had grown to love that meal because she basically lived off of it while she was living alone, and she missed having it because I refused to eat it.  
I sent a quick text to Quinn, asking her what time she'd be home. She was studying in the library, which I thought was adorable, although I didn't realise that people still used libraries. I hoped that she wouldn't be too long, because I had already put the food on plates and pasta got cold really quickly.  
All I could do now was wait. Why hadn't she replied yet? I could only assume that she hadn't heard her phone considering she was in library, so she'd probably have put it on silent. Or at least that's what I hoped.  
20 minutes passed, dinner was doubtlessly stone cold and the candles were burning low. I was getting worried so I sent another text. 'Are you okay? Please answer, I just need to know that you're fine x' that didn't sound too desperate, did it?  
I waited another 10 minutes, until my phone finally buzzed. 'Sorry sweetie, I'm on the way home now, shouldn't be too long. A friend is coming back, he just needs to borrow one of my books, they didn't have it in the library x'  
What? He? Who was he?  
I looked around the apartment, at all of my hard work, and I lost my temper. I picked up my phone and called Quinn.  
"Hey, this is Felix speaking, Quinn's driving at the moment so she can't talk, I can relay the conversation if you want?" It was a deep voice; this must be the dick that Quinn was bringing home.  
"No, just hold the phone to her ear so we can talk," I growled through gritted teeth. This guy was acting like her fucking boyfriend, answering her phone and everything. 'I can relay the conversation', what a nerve this jackass had.  
"Um, okay," there was a slight scuffle as the phone was passed over.  
"Hey San, I'm driving so if I crash it's your fault," she joked.  
"Yeah yeah, listen, you can't bring Frodo back here, okay?" I could practically hear Quinn flinching at my icy tone, but I didn't care, this Felix douche was ruining my plans.  
"His name is Felix, I know you're just being difficult, and he's just borrowing a book, what's the big deal?" she hissed.  
"Just trust me okay. He can't come back here. How about I get the book for you and run it down?"  
"Why can't we go in to get it? You're acting pretty suspicious San. It's _OUR_ apartment, not yours, you have no right to tell me who I can and can't have over!" Her voice was rising, along with my anger.  
"I don't care if it's our apartment! I have my god damn reasons now just get him out-"  
"We're parking now San, so if you've been fucking some _slut_ then she still has time to leave," Quinn's voice was now dangerously quiet, which was so much worse than her shouting.  
"The fuck Quinn!? I haven't been fu-"  
"I don't want to hear it, Santana," she ended the call.  
I looked angrily around the apartment, at all of the candles, the blankets, the perfectly set dinner table, the flowers. There was no way I could clean this all up in time, so I did something very strange and uncharacteristic. I collapsed on the floor, head in hands, and began to cry. Why did this stupid stranger have to ruin everything?  
Footsteps and deliberately loud laughter could be heard from outside the door, and a key turned in the lock.  
"I'll just run in and grab the book for you swee-" Quinn's kind voice was cut off abruptly mid-sentence. I looked around to face her, and saw through my tears that she was standing, frozen, in the doorway, her mouth wide open.  
"Um, wow, sorry, I'll just borrow it from someone else babe. See you soon," a man with short, curly brown hair and blue eyes was standing awkwardly by the door. That must be Felix. He hastily exited the apartment, closing the door behind him, his handsome face flushed with embarrassment. I could see why Quinn had invited him over, he was very attractive, although not my type; he had a dick.  
Wordlessly, Quinn dumped her bag on the floor and looked around, taking note of everything.  
The candles had sputtered out, the flowers suddenly looked a lot less beautiful, and the dinner was cold. She walked over to me and sat down, reaching her arms out to comfort me. I viciously slapped them away.  
"Sweetie, I had no idea-"  
"Don't call me sweetie if that's what you call _him._ I asked you not to come home with anyone, but you still did. You brought your secret boyfriend back, why didn't you tell me you were with him? Oh and I'm sorry I cock-blocked you, _babe_," I sneered, imitating Felix's deep voice. "I know why you brought him back, and I offer you my sincerest apologies. I can call him back if you want? I'm sure he still wants to fuck you," I didn't even bother shouting, my voice was perfectly level.  
These harsh words were met with silence. "Nothing to say for yourself, huh?" I couldn't bring myself to look at her.  
"You think I brought him back for sex? Why woul-" Quinn whispered.  
"I'm sorry Quinn, but 'coming to borrow a book' is the worst excuse I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot," I spat, the venom evident in my words.  
"Santana I swear! He's not my boyfriend, he has a girlfriend, she's called Kate, she's friends with Rachel, ask her!" Quinn was crying now, and my heart was breaking at the sight. I stood up, looking at the girl I loved with a mixture of resentment and an overwhelming urge to just hold her and tell her that everything was okay. The resentment won.  
"I need to be alone for a bit. Dinner is on the table, but it'll need to be reheated. Sleep on the couch tonight please Quinn, I can't share a bed with you," I turned to walk away, but her hand in mine stopped me.  
"Wait, Santana, why did you go to all this trouble?" She said softly.  
I turned to face her. "Because I love you," I yanked my hand away from hers and walked into the bedroom. I didn't hear any movement from her, so she must have stayed still, rooted to the spot. I slammed the door and fell onto the bed, _our_ bed.

That was nowhere near how I planned to tell her, I wanted it to be romantic; she deserved that much. But at least she knew now, not that it had made any difference.  
I didn't leave the bedroom that night; I couldn't face her, so instead, I curled up into a ball, and cried myself to sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
Quinn's POV

I woke up the next morning feeling sore and completely unrested. My head hurt, my neck ached and a strong sense of guilt bore down heavily on my shoulders. I stretched an arm out, searching for the comforting warmth of Santana, but instead finding the cold leather back of the sofa. I sat up quickly, the painful memories of last night flooding back, before flopping down again, my strength sapped from even the simple movement of sitting up. My head was swimming and there was a blinding pain behind my eyes which were now stinging with fresh tears. What the hell had I done? If only I had listened to her and sent Felix home, we would have had the perfect evening, and most importantly, I could've told her that I loved her too.  
When she had told me of her feelings, it was like a huge blow to my stomach; her voice wasn't filled with love, it was loaded with poison, the exact opposite of how confessions should be. All the air had been squeezed out of my lungs and I could do nothing but stand there like a coward and watch her walk away. I wanted nothing more than to run to her, to kiss her and proclaim my love for her. But no, I was paralysed. Tears had begun to fall as she slammed the bedroom door in my face, and I made no attempt to stop them. I deserved all the pain in the world for what I had done. She had set up a beautiful, romantic, candlelit dinner with flowers, a bed of duvets with my favourite films, and what had I done? Fucked it all up.  
The unmistakable smell of alcohol hung in the air, and I bitterly recalled last night when I had collapsed on the sofa, a bottle of vodka in hand. I looked around. Where was the bottle? Why was I tucked in a blanket? I sat up hastily, and a scrap of paper fell to the floor. I squinted and tried to read it despite my blurry vision.  
_'Quinn, you drank a whole bottle of vodka last night, what the hell? I've gone to the store to get you some food and pills for your inevitable hangover. I'll be back in a bit, I hope you're warm enough, I got you a blanket and pillow so you wouldn't be too uncomfortable. Santana x'_  
A huge wave of relief washed over me; she wasn't too angry. But I didn't understand how she could possibly be so nice to me after the way I acted yesterday. I felt sick. I needed my Santana, I needed to tell her how sorry I was and I needed her to know that I loved her too, so much. I rolled the blanket off of my legs, wincing as the sore muscles in my arm tightened, and stood, wobbling slightly.  
Gingerly, I hobbled over to the bathroom and flicked on the switch.  
"Shit," The light was blinding, it sent a searing pain through my head so I turned it off and waited until the dancing spots had cleared from my vision. I stumbled over to the sink, groaning loudly and started to brush my teeth, hoping to get rid of the burning taste of alcohol. A minute later, I heard the door to our apartment open and close.  
"Quinn where are you? If you've left the apartment I swear to god-"  
"In here San," I mumbled, spitting toothpaste into the sink and rinsing my mouth.  
"You shouldn't have got up; you drank a freaking bottle of vodka all by yourself last night. Care to explain?" She stood in the doorway, looking sexier than ever in a tight red dress and knee high black leather boots.  
"San I'm so sorry for how I behaved yesterday, I was such a bitch. I felt disgusting for how I acted but I didn't want to disturb you so I grabbed the bottle and-"  
"There's no excuse for fucking killing your liver like that," she glared at me.  
"I know, I'm sorry, I don't expect you to forgive me but plea-"  
"Answer me one thing,"  
I frowned, slightly taken aback, "of course, anything sweetie," my words were sincere, and I hoped she could tell.  
"Don't you_ dare_ call me sweetie," she snapped. I flinched and she looked at me, her features softening as her gaze lowered to the floor. "Why did you just assume that I was sleeping with someone? Do you have that bad an opinion of me? Am I just common scum to you?" Her voice was so gentle and she sounded utterly defeated. I felt my heart break all over again. Had I really said that?  
"I didn't assume it, I don't even understand what I was thinking, I know that you're not like that, I just lashed out, I'm so sorry, I have no excuse and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me," I choked. Tears were falling freely again and my head felt like it was going to spilt open. "Santana I really am sorry, you don't even need to forgive me, I should've listened to you and not got angry, I shouldn't have said any of those spiteful things, and I just want you to know that I lo-"  
She held a finger to my lips, halting my speech before I could finish. "I can't forgive you yet Quinn, I will eventually, but it'll take time," she brushed a tear away from my cheek and I clung to her hand, desperate for some kind of physical contact. "I thought that you knew me better than to think I was sleeping around, but evidently not. Anyway, I got you some pills and food, it's all in the kitchen," she pulled her hand away from mine and exited the bathroom, leaving me on my own, quietly sobbing, fresh tear stains on my cheeks.

Feeling completely empty, I walked out into the kitchen to see a grocery bag sitting alone on the wooden work top. I opened it to find some painkillers, ice cream and bacon. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth before I remembered why I needed all of it, and instantly the brief feeling of warmth was extinguished, being replaced by a heavy feeling of remorse that settled in my stomach like tar. I popped the pills and swallowed them dry, wincing as the capsules slid slowly down my throat. Soft footsteps came towards me from behind and I turned to see Santana standing a few paces away, her beautiful face tinged with pain. "I'm going over to Rachel and Kurt's for a bit. Can I trust you not to drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol again?" Her voice was cold and her tone stung, but I deserved it entirely.  
"I promise San. Have fun," my voice cracked and I turned away, unable to look at her tormented expression without breaking down. The door to the apartment closed softly, and I slid to the ground, my body convulsing with sobs. I needed to show her how sorry I was, but I didn't have the strength right then, so I shakily stood, still crying, and grabbed a spoon along with the Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream that Santana had bought for me.

I moped about on the sofa for the rest of the day, half-heartedly eating my way through the tub of ice cream and brainstorming ways of apologising to Santana. Finally, an idea came to me, so I stood, entered our bedroom, and got to work, a bubble of hope growing. Hopefully she'd appreciate this.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
Santana's POV

"Hey, it's alright, it'll be okay," Kurt was holding me in his arms, rubbing my back and whispering soothing words into my ear as I cried into his chest.  
"But it's not okay Kurt, I want to forgive her but I can't!" I sniffled and looked up at him, desperate for some kind of reassurance.  
"Why can't you?" He asked softly, wiping a tear from my cheek. I looked down at the floor, thinking. Why could I not forgive her?  
I knew that I was being childish, but the truth was, I didn't want to let her get away with everything. I wanted her to feel the pain and jealousy that I felt when she was with Felix. She couldn't be allowed to get off the hook so easily, after all, she had basically called me a whore and she knew that I was sensitive about my past... Relations. At high school I'd been known as a bit of a get around, but I'd tried really hard to bury that part of my life, which Quinn knew full well, and yet she decided that it would be acceptable to use it against me.  
"Because some of the stuff she said to me really stung, Kurt, and it's not fair" I whispered. He sighed and pulled me close again.  
"I know San. I'm not trying to make excuses for her but its not like you haven't ever said things you regretted while you were angry," he reasoned. As much as I hated to admit it, Lady Hummel was right.  
"I know but-"  
And you know how hard it must've been for her to apologise, she's as stubborn as you, so for her to practically beg you for forgiveness must've taken a lot of nerve. I really think she's sorry, San," his voice was quiet, which I knew was his tactic for trying to make sure I wouldn't get angry. I met his gaze and smiled genuinely at him. He really was the perfect person to talk to; he didn't judge and he offered unbiased opinions.  
"Thank you," I kissed his cheek and hugged him.  
"Any time honey, you know papa Kurt is always here for you," he shot me a cheesy grin and I slapped his arm, laughing at how corny he was.  
"I'm going to go now porcelain, thanks for your help but I won't forgive Quinn just yet, I want to let her stew," I knew it was mean, but I still resented her for what she had said. Kurt looked at me disapprovingly, but I just shrugged. "You may think I'm a bad person Kurty boy, but I really don't care. Thanks for listening to me whining, but if you tell anyone about this, I have no moral issues with homicide," I winked, knowing that I'd said similar words to him before. He smiled, obviously remembering the time I'd said it too.

"Bye, Satan," he smirked, bringing up my old nickname.  
"Bye Lady Hummel," I mock bowed before leaving the apartment. As I began the short walk home, I frowned and wondered where Rachel was. I hadn't even thought twice about it while I was at their place; I was too wrapped up in my own selfish thoughts. A pang of guilt shot through me but I ignored it; Rachel and I didn't always see eye to eye, so I didn't really care what she was doing, _or who_. I physically cringed at the thought of Rachel having sex and tried desperately to erase the image, so I thought about Quinn instead. How long should I leave it before we could move past this little bump in the road? I didn't know, I guess I'd just see how things went, she was too cute and I loved her too much to torture her for any longer than absolutely necessary.

I entered the building and began the long ascent up to our apartment. When I finally reached the top, I was slightly out of breath which annoyed me; I was letting myself go. What happened to the badass super fit Cheerio captain? I entered the apartment, shaking my head, irritated at my laziness.  
"Hey San," a sheepish voice mumbled. I looked up and gasped.  
"Oh my god Q, when…what…how?" I was at a complete loss for words.  
The walls of our apartment were covered in pieces of paper and canvases, all by Quinn. There were portraits and landscapes, drawn or painted to perfection, on every available piece of wall. But there was one that my eyes were immediately drawn to. Above our bedroom door was a large canvas with a painted picture of Quinn and I together, laughing. I knew exactly what photo she had based it on, one from after regionals, and the likeness was incredible, almost as if the picture itself was sitting above our door.  
"I wanted to show you how sorry I am sweetie, so I'm showing you pictures and paintings that no one else has seen before. These are my private pieces San, but I trust you, I'm willing to bare everything to you, if you'll let me," she paused and drew in a breath before walking over to me and gingerly taking my hand in hers, waiting to see if I'd pull away. I didn't. "I love you Santana Lopez," she looked directly into my eyes as she said these words, and it felt as though she was staring right into my soul. But for some reason, I was comfortable with how vulnerable she made me feel. This girl was perfect, there was no way I could be annoyed at her after this.  
I wanted to cry and jump with joy at the same time, so I did the only logical thing and stepped forward, placing my hands on her waist. "I love you too, Lucy Quinn Fabray, so very much," I leant in and pressed my lips to hers.

**A/N Sorry I didn't post this yesterday, I've been busy, but I hope you enjoy it! I might not be able to post again until Sunday because today was my birthday so tonight and tomorrow we're celebrating and I probably won't be able to write. **

**Also, a huge HUGE thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story, and an extra special thank you to those who have reviewed, seriously, they make it all worth it!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
Quinn's POV

"I love you too, Lucy Quinn Fabray, so very much," her words were filled with so much love and passion, I felt my knees go weak and my heart soar; _finally!_ I threw my arms around her shoulders as she stepped forward, pressing her soft lips to mine. The kiss was sweet and held so much meaning. All of our pent up emotions were poured into it and I had to fight to keep myself standing; my legs had turned to jelly. In that moment I didn't care about anything other than us, we were in our own little bubble, happily holding each other, finally freeing the feelings that we had silently wrestled with for so long.  
After a long, tender moment, we both pulled away to catch our breath and rested our foreheads together, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.  
"I knew you were a good kisser San, but that was just so..." I searched for an appropriate word.  
"I know exactly what you mean, I can't find a suitable word either," she smiled at me.  
"It was like everything that had built up was just set free,"  
"Yeah and you know I'm not usually one for sappy shit, but I felt like we were like, together, we shared a heartbeat and we moved as one, you know?" Her voice was so soft and her eyes sparkled with tears. I couldn't blame her, the kiss was just so beautiful, I had felt my eyes welling up too.  
"I know exactly what you mean sweetie," I pulled my head back to look at her, soaking up every inch of her beauty. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and my eyes narrowed.  
"What?" I asked, curious as to what she found amusing.  
"Nothing, Q, I just never believed in perfection before I found you," she blushed and sheepishly looked down. My heart melted into a puddle of mush and I gently tilted her chin up so that she was looking at me, before pressing my lips to hers again. I couldn't believe how sweet she was. Everyone knew her as the stone cold bitch that never let her guard down, but once you got past her tough exterior, she was just as shy and adorable as the next person. I thanked her for the huge compliment that she had given me through the kiss, and she responded willingly, pressing her body closer to mine as she did so. I ran my fingers through her thick raven hair, revelling at its silky feel as it glided easily over my hands. I smiled into the kiss and Santana pulled back, quirking an eyebrow, "something funny babe?"  
"Not at all. This might sound weird but your hair is so lovely," I laughed. She smirked and shrugged.  
"I know. Now where were we?"  
"Someone's eager and extremely modest," I joked and she slapped my hip playfully.  
"Modesty is just in my nature. And of course I'm eager, I've been wanting to kiss you properly for years and now I finally can, so I don't want to waste any time," I could tell that behind the jokey tone, her words were dead serious.  
"Okay, well I'd like to get comfy and make out," an adorable blush spread across her face at the mention of making out, "I'm still tired from putting all of my paintings and stuff up so I can't stand for too long," I kissed one of her reddened cheeks.  
She laughed and then nodded, "okay Blondie, you go pick out a film and I'll get changed into something more comfortable," she turned to walk towards our bedroom, her eyes scanning all of my drawings and paintings on the wall, until I grabbed her arm, stopping her.  
"But that dress is so sexy, please keep it on," I whined, giving her the puppy dog face. Before I could even register what had just escaped my lips, a devious smirk spread across her face and I swallowed nervously. Oh crap, did I say that out loud?  
"Sexy huh?" She purred, advancing back towards me.  
"Um, yeah," my heart was thumping and a fire was set alight inside me at the sight of Santana moving so slowly, so _seductively_.  
"Well then," she kissed up my neck before whispering in my ear, "what are you going to do about it babe?" Goosebumps prickled on my skin. Why did she have this effect on me, it was crazy; all she did was kiss my neck and now I was completely under her spell.  
"San, I-" she bit my earlobe and I caught my breath, physically unable to form words.  
"Hmm?" Her hands travelled from my waist to my ass, and I suddenly snapped out of the trance that she had me in. I gripped her forearms and pulled them away from my butt. She looked at me, frowning and pouting, evidently confused.  
"San I know we've slept together before, but I think we should do this properly, take it slow," I looked her directly in the eyes, "I'm not as confident in that... _Area_, as you are. You're the only girl that I've ever been with so I'm kind of a bit worried," I conceded, looking at the floor. She sighed and kissed my forehead while taking my hands in hers.  
"I'm sorry Q, I forgot. We can go slow if that's what you need, I don't mind, as long as it's not because you find me repulsive," her voice was genuine all the way through and my head snapped up to look at her. _Me_, find _her_, repulsive!? She kept a completely straight face, but I could see the twinkle in her eye that thankfully meant she was joking about the repulsive part. I poked her stomach, laughing and she joined me, confirming that she was indeed joking.  
"Thank you," I smiled and gently placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "So how about that film?"  
"Sure thing babe, just let me get changed, I don't want to tempt you with my sexiness," she winked and walked to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I shook my head, amused by how completely immodest she was.  
"Whatcha laughing at babe? I _can_ hear you know, contrary to popular belief," she scoffed.  
"Just how modest you are sweetie," I chuckled before walking over to the cabinet by our TV to pick a film. I chose Forrest Gump, a personal favourite of mine, and put it in the DVD player.  
"But you love it really," Santana appeared in the doorway, smirking, looking naturally gorgeous in a pair of leggings and a maroon zip up hoodie with her hair in a messy bun. Slowly, she walked over to me and pulled me in for a hug. I breathed in her scent and smiled as I heard her inhale deeply too.  
I pulled back to look at her, " I love you, modesty and all, I wouldn't want you any other way, San,"  
"Good, I wouldn't want you any other way either Quinnie, I love you exactly as you are" she kissed my nose and pulled me on to the sofa before pressing play on the DVD remote. I snuggled into her side, wrapping my arms around her waist as she kissed the top of my head and put her arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. Her words played in my head and there was no way I could stop myself from grinning through the whole film, even the sad bits that usually made me cry. 'I wouldn't have you any other way'. She was perfect to me, and I was perfect to her.  
"I love you, Santana, seriously, I mean it," I looked up at her and she smiled before responding.  
"I love you too Fabray, more than anything," she kissed my forehead and hugged me before sighing and settling back down to watch the movie.  
Everything was perfect at that precise moment, and I didn't want it to change. As if on cue, I felt a vibrating in my pocket so I sat up to check who was calling. The name on the screen made my blood run cold and a heavy feeling of dread settled in my stomach.  
"Who is it babe?" Santana asked, frowning at my worried expression.  
I gulped nervously and looked down before whispering, " it's Daddy,".

**A/N Sorry I haven't posted for a while guys, I've been busy. Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy and reviews are welcome! I love reading the reviews, and I really appreciate that you've taken the time to write them, so thank you!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
Santana's POV

Why the hell was Quinn's dad calling? Please, don't let him find out, god _please_, this was what she was most scared about...  
I watched as Quinn pressed the speaker phone button and then lowered her mouth to the microphone, "Um, hello?" She whispered.  
"Quinn?" A man's voice sounded from the phone.  
"Uh, yeah,"  
"Where the HELL are you? You're supposed to be at Yale, I called up and apparently you transferred but they wouldn't tell me where! What do you think you're doing!? Get home now, how _DARE_ you move without telling me!?" He shouted. Quinn flinched and tears began rolling down her cheeks so I put a protective arm around her, wishing more than anything that I could shield her from all harm.  
"You disowned me daddy, why would I tell you anything?" She murmured. Her eyes had a glazed, faraway look to them.  
"You're a disgrace but you're still my little girl! Have you been plotting against me with your mother!? Huh? ANSWER ME!" I could tell than he had lost it. Quinn just sat there, too terrified and shaken to answer, so I took matters into my own hands.  
"Mr Fabray, it's Santana Lopez speaki-"  
"The _lesbian_!? You disgust me! How dare you talk to me, how _dare_ you be in the same room as my Quinn! I did not raise my little girl to associate with scum like _YOU_!"  
White hot anger bubbled up inside me but I fought it back for Quinn's sake; she didn't need any more shouting, so when I spoke, my voice was calm, however my tone was venomous.  
"Listen here you bigoted air head, you can insult _me_ all you like, but you can't shout at Quinn, she has done nothing wro-"  
"Tell me where she is!" He cut me off, practically screaming. I'd never heard a grown man sound so insane before, it was unsettling.  
"Never," I spat.  
"I will find you, Lopez. And when I do, you'll be sorry. If you've infected my Quinn with your, your... _Disease_, then I will put you in hospital, you hear me? I don't care if you're a girl, you're a disgusting piece of shit and I have no qualms about hurting sinners like you. And as for my little Quinn, poor baby Quinn, you are in SO much trouble young lady, you hav-"  
"We aren't going to sit here and listen to this bull shit. Goodbye, Mr Fabray," I ended the call before he could finish his threat. Quinn was trembling in my arms so I hugged her and rubbed the small of her back. I was shaken too but I knew that Quinn must be feeling a whole lot worse, after all her own father had just threatened her.  
"It's okay babe, I won't let him near you," I whispered, stroking her hair and rocking gently back and forth. She whimpered in response and my heart broke. I hated feeling so helpless and I hated that there was nothing I could do to protect the girl that I loved. "Do you need anything babe? I can cook you dinner..?"  
"No thanks," her voice cracked and she looked up at me with puffy, bloodshot eyes. I cupped her cheeks and looked at her beautiful face, fighting back tears of my own. I needed to be strong for her, for us; if I crumbled, then we both would.  
Without warning, she pressed her lips to mine, taking me by surprise. It wasn't like our previous kisses; this one was urgent, desperate. I kissed her back, trying to match her pace and she straddled me, pushing me against the back of the sofa.  
What was going on? A few seconds ago Quinn was crying and now she was sitting on my lap, kissing me as if her life depended on it. I was about to ask her what was happening when she slipped her tongue into my mouth, making me moan loudly and pull her closer. My instincts kicked in and I picked her up bridal style, carrying her into the bedroom, our lips never leaving the each other's. I laid her down on the bed, climbing on top, before I remembered what she had said earlier.  
"I thought you wanted to take things slow?" I tried to keep my voice level as she kissed down my neck. God she was distracting.  
"I know, but I feel like I need to be close to someone. I want you to protect me, San, take away the worry," she looked up at me with pleading eyes and I sighed.  
"I wish I could make it better Q, but I can't take advantage of you like this, it's not right,"  
"It's not taking advantage," she pouted and I stroked her cheek.  
"It is babe, you're feeling vulnerable, I can't," I murmured, running my fingers through her gorgeous blonde hair.  
"I'm sorry,"  
"No, I'm sorry. You have no reason to apologise,"  
"I do, I must seem so desperate," she let out a watery laugh.  
"Not at all mi amor," I smiled.  
"I like that name. You speaking Spanish is hot," she smirked, regaining some of her confidence.  
"Thanks babe," I winked. "Lay down now, get some rest, I'll be right here,"  
"Okay San, thank you. I love you, _so much_," she whispered. My heart swelled with love and adoration at her genuine words.  
"I love you too," I replied before giving her a lingering kiss on the lips.  
Surely I deserved a freaking medal for resisting her; she was the definition of sexy, but I knew I'd done the right thing. She'd appreciate this in the morning.  
I kissed the side of her head and listened to her deep breathing before drifting off to sleep, my thoughts on the phone call and how I was going to keep my baby safe from her maniac father. Even if it was an empty threat, Quinn was still scared and she needed me. I snuggled her closer in my sleep as her limbs twitched, caught up in a vivid nightmare.

**A/N Sorry I hadn't posted for a while, I couldn't for the life of me think of anything to write. But I hope you enjoyed this, reviews are always welcome!**

**Thanks to those who have reviewed, I really appreciate it and I love reading them. **


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
Quinn's POV

_I was running through trees in a seemingly endless forest, another pair of footsteps echoing close behind me. Everything was grey and the ground was your typical sidewalk, complete with drain covers and uneven pavement, but despite the urban setting, trees surrounded me, towering above like the skyscrapers of New York._  
_Someone was chasing me._  
_I dodged through the tree trunks and ducked under branches, listening as the heavy, clumsy footsteps behind faded away into silence. The lack of sound was eerie and unsettling._  
_A twig snapped to my left. I looked around, desperately searching for whomever, or whatever, made that noise. I was still running and breathing hard, before I heard laughter coming from the right. I snapped my head round, looking for the owner of the deep, mocking chuckle but seeing nothing apart from endless grey until... What was that? A speck of hazel flashed through the trees and I ground to a halt, my body shaking with fear and revulsion. Eyes._  
_The trees were now closing in, squeezing me, pushing me towards the ground until I could no longer see anything. I couldn't move my limbs, I couldn't even breathe. I was being choked and compressed from all angles, groped by finger-like twigs._  
_All of a sudden I was free, floating in a grey limbo with absolutely nothing around me. Desperately I began looking for some way out, but the grey was infinite, suffocating._  
_I took a tentative step forward and as I did so, thousands of hazel eyes flickered open, surrounding me. I tried to scream but nothing happened, my vocal chords were paralysed, until a mocking laugh echoed around my grey prison. I knew that laugh, and not just from the forest, I knew it from my childhood. I knew the eyes too; the colour of mine was rare and I'd inherited it from him. A cold shiver ran down my spine. I squeezed my eyes shut and ran forwards into-_  
"Quinn wake up!" Santana was above me, shaking my shoulders, a worried expression tainting her perfect features. I sat up abruptly, my head spinning and a sheen of cold sweat covering my pale skin.  
Santana was sat on my lap and she pulled me into a tight hug that obliterated any residual panic from the nightmare. In her arms I was invincible.  
"God that was horrible," I muttered, shivering involuntarily.  
"You were kicking and screaming for ages but you refused to wake up, mind telling me what happened?" She stroked my hair and I smiled. "You don't have to say if you don't want to,"  
"Have a guess," I mumbled, breathing in her gorgeous natural scent and sighing happily.  
"Russell?"  
I nodded. "He was chasing me and there were eyes everywhere but they were my eyes, _our eyes_. It was horrible; it reminds me that I'm actually related to him. What if I turn out...?" I couldn't finish the sentence.  
"You're nothing like him babe, trust me,"  
"I hope not," I kissed her gently on the lips and smiled; now we could kiss whenever we wanted.  
"Breakfast?"  
"Bacon sounds good,"  
"You're terrible," she laughed and kissed my forehead before standing up. I smirked and watched her walk to the door, her firm butt swaying as she did so. "You know, you really are a perv, Q," she raised an eyebrow, hands on hips.  
"Only for you," I stood and walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close, revelling in the feeling of warmth that spreads through me at her simple touch. "What time does your class start today sweetie?"  
"2, yours?"  
"I think maybe 3?"  
She laughed. "You don't sound too sure, Q,"  
"I'm not," I kissed her nose before starting towards the kitchen, but her hand on my wrist stopped me.  
"Quinn," she paused, "while I'm at class, I don't want you being alone in the apartment," she said, looking down at the floor. I frowned.  
"Why?"  
"Because of Russell,"  
"Do you really think he'll find me?" I asked, biting my lip. It was a bad habit of mine, but I only did it when I was nervous.  
"No, but I still worry,"  
A stab of indignation and annoyance jolted through my belly, "I can take care of myself," I muttered bitterly, yanking my wrist out of her grasp and walking to the kitchen. She jogged behind me.  
"I know babe, I didn't mean it like that, I would just feel a lot better if we stayed with people, you know?" She looked at me with pleading brown eyes. How could I be angry at that face?  
"Okay, I'll go to Rachel and Kurt's, alright?" I sighed.  
"Thank you babe. I'm sorry if I seem really nagging and controlling, but it's only because I care about you," she smiled genuinely.  
"I know, I appreciate it. You have to go over there as well, not just me,"  
"But-"  
"No buts, if I have to then so do you. Russell threatened you too, remember?" I spoke softly, stroking her cheek as she nodded. "Thank you sweetie. Now how about that bacon," I grinned, waggling my eyebrows.  
"Coming right up," she laughed, turning away and walking to the fridge. "You're in charge of the eggs,"  
"Okay sweetie," I smiled and set to work, making scrambled egg for me and fried egg for her, the smell of bacon spurring me on.  
I glanced over at the angel next to me, my heart swelling with pride and adoration. How the hell did I get so lucky?

**A/N I know this isn't the most interesting of chapters, but bear with me please! I have plans for the next few, trust me.**

**As always, reviews are welcome.**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
Santana's POV

When the hell would this god forsaken class end? I was extremely irritable already; Quinn and I had been arguing the previous night, and this boring dick of a professor wasn't helping my spirits. I slumped against the back of my chair, huffing in annoyance and remembering what mine and Quinn's 'disagreement' had been about.  
_"What is your obsession with my safety? Sure, it's nice that you care, honestly, but you're treating me like a baby, I'm not made of fucking glass!" I flinched at her words and her expression softened slightly, "San, it's been like, 3 weeks since my dad called, I think he's given up, things can go back to how they were. It was probably just an empty threat anyway," she scowled, crossing her arms and sitting back against the headboard of our bed, wearing nothing but a black lace bra and some bed shorts. Wanky. I had to stop myself from jumping her there and then, despite the fact she was shouting at me._  
We'd been about to get our mack on for the first time since the wedding, when, in between gentle caresses and kisses, I'd said something along the lines of, 'I'm so glad you're safe' and she suddenly went ape shit.  
In response to her sharp words, I had jumped off of the bed, my fury rising, _"So you'd rather I didn't care!? I don't understand, when I'm mean, I'm a bitch, but when I'm nice, you don't want it? Make up your god damn mind and tell me when you have," I muttered bitterly.__  
__ "San, I didn't-"__  
_After that, I had slammed the door and gone to sleep on the couch. It shouldn't have been a big argument, and I felt bad for storming out as soon as I had left, but I couldn't go back in, no matter how bad I felt; my pride wouldn't allow it.  
So I was now sat moodily in one of my tedious classes, thinking of how I'd apologise to Quinn. We still hadn't had sex yet, because of the interruption the previous night, so maybe I could seduce her and show how sorry I was...  
"Santana?" It was my professor.  
"Yes?"  
"Were you listening?"  
"You bet,"  
"Really?" He stepped towards my desk, being about as intimidating as a toddler, given his short stature.  
"Yup,"  
"What was the last thing I said?"  
_"Really? What was the last thing I said?"_ I mimicked, gaining a few stifled snickers from the rest of the class. My professor huffed indignantly and turned beet red, reminding me a bit of Berry. Unfortunately, he suffered from short man syndrome. Puffing up his chest, he opened his mouth to reply when thankfully the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. I smirked at him before gathering my things and sweeping from the classroom and towards the parking lot, ready to go and see Quinn at Rachel and Kurt's. Despite our little spat, she still went, and I couldn't help but fall in love with her a little bit more, not that I thought that was possible. I swerved through the throng of students who were all clamouring to get home as quickly as possible, and finally I was free, into the open air of the parking lot.  
I sat down in my car and immediately dialled her mobile, waiting impatiently as it rang. There was no answer, so I waited to leave a message and smiled at her answering machine. She was so adorable, and even though it was only her recorded voice, the sound of her speaking warmed my heart.  
"Hey Quinn, it's Santana, call me back when you get this please," I sighed and put my phone down. What was the point of that girl even having a phone? She never used it.  
I started the engine and set off, turning on the radio and trying to find a decent song. I smiled as 'we've got tonight' came on, and I sang as much as I could remember, my thoughts on Mr Schue's wedding when Frankenteen and the hobbit did their version of it.  
"I know it's late and I know you're weary, I know your plans don't include me..." I sang, tapping the steering wheel along to the beat. By the time the song had ended, I was at Kurt and Rachel's place, so I parked and eagerly jumped out of the car, excited to see Quinn. I noticed another car parked outside and I frowned; it was a silver BMW and it seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember anyone I knew that had one. I shrugged and jogged up the steps, checking my phone as I did so. Quinn hasn't called back and my frown returned. She was undeniably bad with her phone, but at least she usually called back within a decent time. I reached the top of the steps and strode along the dimly lit walkway and knocked when I reached their door. There was no logical reason why, but I felt a strange sense of unease; something felt wrong but I couldn't place it, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  
"Hey Santana," it was Brody who had opened the door, his tan skin glowing in the orange light from outside.  
"Hey Ken, where's Barbie?" I smirked, brushing past him to walk inside.

"If you mean Rachel, she and Kurt went out about an hour ago,"

"Oh, alright. Where's Qui-" I stopped abruptly and the smirk fell from my face when I saw who was sat on the sofa next to Quinn. My blood felt like it was literally freezing in my veins. I shivered as two sets of identical hazel eyes settled on me, one pair terrified, and the other looking smug. I studied Quinn's face for a moment. To anyone who didn't know her, she would look like any normal happy person, but I could tell that behind the fake smile, she was petrified. I swallowed nervously, unsure of what to do. Rachel and Kurt knew what had happened regarding the phone call, however Brody was oblivious. He must've been the one that let him in. My palms began sweating and I felt like I was going to throw up; he was sitting with his hand on Quinn's knee.  
"Hello, Miss Lopez. You remember me, right? Russell, Russell Fabray,"

**A/N We hate Russell, huh? Hope this chapter was okay, I'm going away for a couple days so I won't be posting until Saturday at least.**

**Thank you for all of the lovely reviews, they mean a lot and I love reading them. They're what makes me want to carry on! **


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20  
Quinn's POV

_"... Russell, Russell Fabray,"_  
I watched as Santana's face contorted with disgust, her dark eyes flicking between my father's face and his large, sweaty hand on my knee.  
Brody was standing by the kitchen, frowning, his eyes fixed on Santana and her expression. "What's up, is something wrong?" Deep brown eyes locked on to mine and we shared a silent question,_ "what do we do?"_ Before either of us could decide, Russell cut in.  
"What could be wrong? Can't a proud father come and visit his little girl?" he squeezed my knee, causing me to cringe and swat his hand away. This seemed to snap Santana out of her haze. Brody still looked wary, but kept his mouth shut and studied Santana as she walked over to us, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Mr Fabray, it's a pleasure to see you again," she extended a hand. Suddenly, I understood exactly what she was doing, and I allowed myself a small smile. My genius 'best friend/whatever' was using Brody as a shield, pretending that everything was fine until we could leave. Surely Russell wouldn't try anything while he was here; it would be too risky. Or maybe we could somehow tell him about the phone call. He could keep Russell at bay while we called the police or got a restraining order or something. My dad was an utter disgrace, so I had no issues with cutting him out of my life, just as he had tried to do when I got pregnant. Santana was also taking advantage of the fact that my dad was a huge homophobe. He would refuse to shake her hand and quite probably insult her, hopefully making Brody realise that something was going on. He was our only hope.  
As expected, Russell declined the handshake and leant away, his nose wrinkled in disgust at her close proximity. I caught Santana's eye and winked, patting the seat next to me. She sat down and placed her hand on my knee, making sure that Russell saw. Big mistake. I knew she was just trying to be irritating, but this was too much for him. A lesbian, touching his daughter?  
Russell's expression changed from evident disgust to pure anger in a matter of seconds, and I watched as his face began to turn red. I'd seen him angry a lot of times, but not for a while, and I'd forgotten how intimidating he could be.  
"Get your filthy hands off of my daughter," he growled, fists clenched.  
"What if I don't?" She sneered, squeezing my knee reassuringly. This wasn't going to plan, but I couldn't help admiring her confidence, although I felt jealous too; why couldn't I ever stand up to him like that?  
"I'll have to break them of for you, you disgusting lesbian piece of shi-"  
"Hey whoa," Brody had walked over to us, anger prominent on his handsome features. He and Santana may not have gotten along great, but she was a friend of Rachel's, so he was looking out for her. "How dare you call her that? What gives you the right? It's people like you who are the disgusting pieces of shit," Brody spat, towering above Russell, who was still sat on the sofa. Slowly, he stood up, looking determinedly into Brody's green eyes.  
"Step back, kiddo, I don't really want to hurt you. But I guess you're just collateral damage," Russell cracked his knuckles together and I instinctively moved over to Santana for comfort.  
"What are you going to do oldie? Huh?"  
"This," Russell stepped towards the younger man, slamming into his stomach and chest with a surprisingly strong shoulder. Brody flew backwards and onto the coffee table, making it shatter loudly beneath him. I couldn't imagine how much that must have hurt.  
Bleary-eyed, bruised and covered in splinters, he tried to sit up, but Russell swiftly raised his boot and brought it down hard onto Brody's nose. There was a loud _crunch_ and a spurt of blood before his head lolled back and he passed out cold.  
Santana and I sat there, completely dazed. What had just happened? One minute Brody was in the kitchen and the next, he was lying amongst the wreckage of what used to be a pretty nice coffee table.  
Slowly, Russell turned around to face us, his features twisted with rage. I looked over his shoulder, curious. Was that the door opening and closing?  
"Quinn, up, now. We're leaving," he hissed. I said nothing, too terrified to form words. He wanted me to go with him? Leave Santana? He was a maniac; he'd just assaulted Brody and was now trying to take me with him to Ohio? As Santana put a protective arm around me, I realised that I'd been a coward for too long. Now I had to defend myself, not let anyone fight my battles for me. I stood up and balled my fists, anger rising in my chest.  
"No. You can't control me, not anymore; I'm not your little girl. You disowned me; I want nothing to do with you. You abandoned me in my time of need and now you're asking me to go with you? Do you expect everything to go back to how it was? Because that will never, ever happen. Go home, Russell, you're no father of mine," I spat, confidence emanating from every fibre of my being. Santana stood too and held my hand, boosting my spirits.  
"You can't say that to me! I'm your father you disgraceful little brat!" He shouted, advancing back towards us. I gripped Santana's hand tighter, pulling her behind me, and braced myself for the worst. He wouldn't get away with this without getting another piece of my mind.  
"Didn't you hear me? You're not my father. Fathers are supposed to be there for their children no matter what. All you cared about was yourself. You wanted the perfect wife, the perfect house, the perfect children, the perfect family, but you were nowhere near perfect yourself,"  
His face changed from red to purple and I squeezed my eyes shut. "HOW DARE YOU!" He screamed, drawing ever nearer. I felt Santana's hand leave mine, and I looked around, worried.  
"Listen here you bastard, don't talk to MY Quinn like that, you hear? She wants nothing to do with you, you don't deserve here. Now why don't you run along and go back to the whore you had an affair with. Leave us the hell alone. We were much happier without your wrinkly, disgusting brick head here in New York," Santana snapped. She was right up in Russell's face, or 'grill' as she would probably say, and I had to admire her bravery; he looked as if he was on the verge of exploding.  
Slowly, he raised a fist, his face practically unrecognisable. He was spattered with Brody's blood, splinters and he was absolutely livid. I cried out and ran forward, grabbing Santana's wrist and pulling her backwards just as Russell swung his arm. It would easily have made contact with her jaw.  
If I thought he couldn't get angrier, I was dead wrong. He let out an animalistic scream and charged towards us, ignoring the fact he was stepping through sharp shards of the used-to-be table.  
"Run!" Santana shouted, grabbing my hand and heading towards the door. I followed willingly, all of my previous confidence gone.  
Russell's blind anger made him clumsy, so when we ran past, he misjudged his lunge forwards and fell heavily onto his knees, buying us a few precious extra seconds of time. We sprinted over to the door, Santana slightly ahead of me, always the faster runner. About a metre away from our destination, I allowed myself to hope. Hope that everything would be okay and that we could put this all behind us, I hoped I'd never have to deal with my maniac father again, and most importantly, I hoped that Santana and I could be together, after all, who was to stop us now?  
Her hand closed around the door handle just as Russell's hand closed around my ankle."Get off!" I shouted, panic rising in my gut. This couldn't be happening, _no_; we were so close!

I crashed to the floor as Santana whirled round, her expression that of a rabbit stuck in the headlights.  
Suddenly the door to the apartment flew open and a line of about eight blue uniformed men streamed in. The man at the front shouted some orders, and they spilt up, four of them converging on Russell and the others running to Brody. I felt the hand on my ankle release and I scrambled backwards, eager to be away from him. Santana pulled me up and wrapped her arms around me protectively. I'd ask questions later, but for now, I needed my Santana. I couldn't even begin to comprehend everything that had just happened.  
Russell struggled for a moment until there was the unmistakable click of handcuffs and he cooperated. "Sir, you're under arrest for assault, attempted assault and attempted kidnapping," the NYPD officer then proceeded to tell Russell his rights and everything, before escorting him out of the building. As he walked past us, he mouthed '_someday_'.  
"Never," Santana whispered into my ear. I smiled and pulled her closer, feeling completely safe in her arms.  
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.  
"What for?"  
"Everything. I got you into this mess, I was horrible last night, I'm a disgrace, I have a maniac father, I-"  
She pressed her lips to mine, stopping me mid-sentence. "Quinn, there's nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault that your dad is a whack job, and last night, I think we can forget about that," she laughed. It did seem pretty stupid on the scale of things now.  
"But I was a bitch," I mumbled. It was true; Santana had only been trying to help. I was supposed to let my guard down around her, but I hated the thought of anyone pitying me, so I lashed out.  
"No, I understand why you said everything. You and me, Q, we're pretty much the same," she kissed the side of my head and I blushed slightly.  
"Well aren't you two the cutest," was that Kurt's voice? I looked around to see him and Rachel walking through the door. They both looked pretty shaken, but Rachel looked like she'd seen a ghost. She was deathly pale and her eyes were frantically scanning everywhere until she saw the crowd gathered around the coffee table. Her hand flew to her mouth as the police officers, and now some paramedics, lifted Brody on to an orange stretcher. He wore a neck brace and some bandages on his nose. I felt a stab of guilt at the sight of him lying there, broken; it was all because of me. If I'd just gone with Russell then everyone else could've been saved, they wouldn't have had to be involved.  
"It's not your fault, Quinn," Rachel smiled, practically reading my mind.  
"It is, if I'd just gone-"  
"What, if you'd gone with your father? Honey you'd probably be much worse than Brody. I'm sure he's fine, I guess it's a broken nose and they've probably put the brace on his neck just in case his back got injured, that's all, it was a precaution. Don't get all worked up," she rubbed my arm reassuringly and I nodded. She made sense. A question popped into my head and I frowned.  
"I thought I saw the door open earlier, was that you guys?"  
"Yeah, we saw what Russell did and then called the police," Kurt replied.  
"Thank you so much," Santana smiled, pulling me close again.  
"We're glad you're safe,"  
I looked around at them, happy to be a part of the group for once. We didn't always get along, but we would always be there for each other.  
"Come on, let's go home," Santana whispered. "They'll want to ask us some questions first but then we can go,"  
"Okay sweetie,"  
We walked hand in hand out of the apartment, just happy to be together.

**A/N Gah that was a long one, the ending seems a bit rushed and I'm sorry, I might edit it later.**

**Reviews are welcome as usual, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21  
Santana's POV

"Quinn babe, are you ready? Why can't I come in?" I whined, knocking on our bathroom door. She had been in there for over an hour and I was getting impatient. Tonight we were going out; I wanted to treat her and hopefully ask her to be my girlfriend, so I'd made plans for a romantic evening out. After the incident with Russell, we'd become even closer and I felt that we should progress in our relationship, and considering I was yet to receive the green light in the bedroom, I decided we could still move forward in other aspects. We were already exclusive, but we didn't have a label, so why not? It wouldn't change anything apart from how we introduced ourselves to others.  
"Just finishing my hair, I don't want you to see me until I look satisfactory. You always look better than me so I need to try my best to keep up," she called through the door. I sighed and knocked again, this time with the aim of irritating her.  
"Quinn you never look better than me, you're the most perfect, most beautiful woman that anyone has ever seen. With that in mind, you don't need to take so long in there!" I huffed. My knuckles hurt from knocking so I stopped and walked away, sitting down heavily on the bed and admiring my outfit: a pair of black stilettos with a purple cocktail dress.  
"Quit whining, you can't make me get ready quicker by knocking incessantly and then showering me with compliments," she laughed. The bathroom door opened just as I was about to respond. My jaw fell to the floor and the words died on my lips. She was standing in the doorway in a blue, curve hugging, strapless, floor length gown with a slit up to her thigh. Her hair was up with two soft curls framing her face, and she looked utterly angelic…in a really sexy way. Sweet lord, was she trying to kill me?  
"Like what you see?" She smirked, "close your mouth or you'll eat flies, sweetie,"  
Hastily I stood, picking my jaw up too and smoothing down my dress, hoping to regain some dignity. "Quinn, you look absolutely stunning," I walked over to her and smiled shyly.  
"Is that honestly what you thought when you saw me?" She raised an eyebrow and placed her hands on my hips, stepping closer.  
"Um, well, I may have considered jumping you..." I chuckled.  
"I thought so," she laughed, "you have pretty obvious bedroom eyes, San,"  
"Whatever, we're going to be late," I mumbled, turning and dragging her out of the bedroom towards the front door. Talking about things like that with Quinn didn't help the growing lust that I had to keep at bay. Fuck her for wearing that damn sexy dress. We walked out of the apartment, arm in arm, and descended the steps. My nerves were growing, but I was looking forward to the evening I had planned. I opened Quinn's door for her when we got to my car, "for you, my lady," I winked.  
"Thank you ma'am," she laughed, sitting down and pulling the door closed. I skipped round to the driver's side and got in, twisting my key in the ignition.  
"Radio?" Quinn asked, reaching towards the dash board.  
"Sure," I smiled, pulling out into the road.  
"Where are we going?"  
"You'll see,"  
"_Saaaaaan_," she whined, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.  
"No, it's a surprise," it wasn't really a huge surprise though; I just wanted to annoy her. We were going to her favourite restaurant, a high end place in the heart of New York. We'd only been there once because it was pretty expensive, but Quinn had fallen in love with it, so that's where we were going.  
"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms, annoyed that her puppy dog eyes had failed for the first time. I laughed, stroking her arm. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her crack a small smile and I grinned, glad that she wasn't going to be a grumpy bitch for the evening.  
"I promise you'll love it okay? Trust me,"  
"Okay sweetie,"

Afterwards, I decided that we'd take a walk through Central Park. Dinner had gone great but I hadn't found the right moment to ask her, so I planned to now.  
"That was lovely, San, but I don't understand why I wasn't allowed to pay," Quinn pouted, linking her arm in mine as we strolled contentedly through the quiet park. It was a clear evening and the stars were out, but there was a bite to the air and we were both shivering slightly.  
"Because it was my treat," I smiled, drawing to a halt next to the fountain and sitting down. She joined me and frowned slightly, leaning into my side for warmth.  
"But why? It seemed a bit much for a general date," she mused, looking at me curiously. I sighed and turned to face her, my palms sweating; now was the time.  
"Look, Quinn, nothing's too much for a _'general date'_ with you. If I could afford it, I'd happily try and make every date as lovely as that. I love you, and I wanted to do something special to commemorate a hopefully special occasion," I paused and swallowed nervously. She was gazing at my face, a small smile playing on her lips. "I understand if you don't want to put a label on us, but I wondered if it'd be okay for you to be my girlfriend?" I looked up at her hesitantly, waiting for a response. I wasn't nervous often, but she made my stomach twist into knots and my hands get clammy.  
"Of course I'll be your girlfriend, dummy," she laughed, lightening the mood instantly and leaning in to place a soft kiss on my cheek. I sighed happily and wrapped my arm around her. "Why were you so nervous? I wouldn't ever say no,"  
"Because I didn't know whether you'd be okay with it," I shrugged.  
"You could've asked me anywhere, you didn't have to go to all that trouble. Not that I didn't appreciate it," she added, grinning and showing off her perfect white teeth. Her eyes twinkled in the soft moonlight and I wondered how the hell she could possibly think that I was prettier than her.  
"I just wanted to make sure I had the best possible chance," I said, resting my head on top of hers, "plus, I like romancing you,"  
"You big softy," she looked up at me, smiling, and playfully slapping my thigh.  
"I'm your big softy now, so get used to it," I laughed, cuddling her tightly, "come on, let's go home, I'm freezing my ass off out here,"  
"Okay. And San?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thank you,"

The conversation on the way home was light and playful as usual, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself.  
We entered the apartment and I immediately discarded my heels, groaning in the process. "Those damn shoes killed me," I slumped heavily on the sofa and rubbed my sore feet.  
"Suck it up, so are mine," she laughed, walking over to the couch and sitting down next to me.  
"Hey, you're my girlfriend, you're supposed to take care of me, not tell me to 'suck it up'," I chuckled.  
"I'm sorry baby," she said softly, smirking and leaning in to brush her lips against mine. Not satisfied with the fleeting kiss, I put my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in, connecting our lips properly. She responded immediately and the kiss grew more intense. Without losing contact, she moved and straddled me on the sofa, her hands resting on my hips. My insides were going crazy and I didn't know how much longer I could go without sex, but I knew Quinn was definitely worth the wait. To my surprise, she swiped her tongue across my lower lip and I happily granted her access. The fact that she was the one to deepen the kiss gave me hope that maybe tonight would be the night. Our tongues battled for dominance briefly before we both settled on exploring each other's mouths. I gently bit her lip and she released a breathy moan that only served to fuel my lust. My hands travelled down from her neck, over her shoulders and down her back, coming to a stop on her perfect ass which I squeezed gently. She didn't protest so I stood up with Quinn still straddling me and walked over to the bedroom, never losing contact. I gently laid her down on the bed and climbed on top, placing kisses down her neck and sucking on her pulse point.  
"San," she murmured breathlessly, "dress off, now," I felt her hands fumbling for my zipper, so I looked up from her neck and guided her hand, feeling my dress loosen. I shrugged out of it and tossed it to the floor, searching for Quinn's zipper next. My hands were shaking but I didn't know whether it was from anticipation or nerves. Sure I'd been with her before, but that didn't make me any less nervous; this time was different. It meant more.  
My hand closed around the zip and I tugged it down, revealing Quinn's soft alabaster skin. After tossing her dress on the floor to join mine, I gazed down at her, soaking up every inch of her beauty now that we were both only in our underwear. "You're so beautiful," I whispered, admiring her perfect abs. How did I get so lucky? Sure Britt was hot, but she was _nothing_ compared to Quinn. She had this radiant beauty that never left, no matter what she wore, and her hazel eyes were simply captivating. I'd never seen her look ugly before, and I felt honoured that she had chosen me to be with when she could have had anyone she wanted with just a casual bat of her eyelashes.  
"Not as beautiful as you," she murmured, reaching up to stroke my cheek. I laughed softly and shook my head.  
"No way in hell am I more beautiful than you, Fabray," I said sincerely, lowering my lips to her collar bone and listening to her soft moans.  
"I love you so much," she whispered.  
"I love you too," I smiled, nipping at her earlobe.  
"Enough of the teasing, San," her voice was husky and it sent shivers down my spine. I smirked and allowed my hands to wander south, more than happy to oblige.  
_ Definitely worth the wait._

**A/N I'm really not sure about this chapter, was it okay? Sorry that I haven't updated in ages, I had writer's block and I've been pretty busy. But yeah, I hope it was alright, I'd really love feedback :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22  
Quinn's POV

"Santana!" I squealed excitedly, crashing through the door of our apartment. I quickly kicked off my shoes and dumped the books I'd been carrying before running over to a startled looking Santana who was stretched out on the sofa.  
"What?" She asked, wide eyed, as I flung myself at her, laughing.  
"Guess what!?" I pressed a kiss to her cheek and wrapped my arms around her neck.  
"Berry finally got a nose job?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I slapped her shoulder playfully and grinned.  
"No, one of my paintings has gone up in a gallery!"  
"What!? Q that's great!" She beamed, kissing my lips and hugging me.  
"I know! I entered it as my final piece and my professor must've thought it was great because he showed it to his friend who runs a gallery and he said he'd like to put it up in the guest exhibition section!" I couldn't keep the goofy smile off of my face.  
"That's amazing, I'm so proud of you babe," Santana said, her face glowing with happiness and pride. "I knew you were special,"  
"Thanks San," I smiled.  
"Do you want to celebrate?"  
I shrugged. "I prefer being home alone with you. How about we get a takeaway and just have a girly night like we used to?"  
Santana smiled and nodded, resting her forehead against my cheek. "Whatever you want to do Blondie, it's your night," she murmured.  
"Well, I need a shower so when I'm done we can order in, yeah?" I stood up and went to retrieve the books that I'd dumped on the floor in my haste to tell Santana the good news.  
"Sure thing gorgeous,"  
I straightened up and turned back to face her, a coy smile on my lips. "Care to join me in the shower, San?" I whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. She took a second to process what I had said before jumping up immediately, her lips pulled into a devious smirk. I laughed and walked into the bedroom, depositing my books on the desk, when I felt something soft hit the back of my head. I turned and glanced at the floor to see Santana's bra lying by my feet. Quickly, I looked up, searching for my naked girlfriend, when I heard a muffled laugh and the water turning on. I smiled, shaking my head, before removing my clothes and skipping into the bathroom to join Santana for a _'special shower'_.

"Well, that was the best shower I've had in a long time," Santana grinned, towelling off her lean body and giving me a _very_ good view as she leant down. Despite our previous activities, seeing Santana with rivulets of water running down her naked body made me want her all over again. I stifled a moan when she stood up and began to towel dry her hair. "You're drooling," she winked. I snapped out of my trance and began pulling on my pyjama bottoms, having already dried myself.  
"You can't really blame me for drooling sweetie," I muttered, doing up the clasp on my bra.  
"I drool over you enough, so I guess I can't really talk," she chuckled, walking over to the chest of drawers and retrieving a pair of black lace panties. I swallowed with some difficulty; was she doing this on purpose?  
"I'm going to go find a menu," I mumbled, hastily leaving the room before I could be tempted any further.  
"You're not wearing a shirt, Q," she called, a hint of amusement in her voice.  
"So? No one will see me. Plus maybe if I tell the guy on the phone that I'm pretty much half naked, we'll get a discount," I laughed, picking up my phone and selecting a pizza menu.  
"No one apart from me is allowed to talk to you when you're half naked,"  
"Protective much?"  
A pair of tanned arms slid around my waist from behind and I leant back against her warm body as she kissed my neck. "I'm protective over you, Quinn,"  
I smiled and mumbled an incoherent response, my brain mushy from the feeling of Santana's lips on my exposed skin.  
"I'm the only one that's allowed to make you feel like this Q, no one else," she whispered, her mouth now next to my ear. I nodded slowly as her teeth nipped at my earlobe, and I released a soft moan. She chuckled and moved away from me, taking the pizza menu from my hand and pretending to read it, a satisfied smirk on her face. I mentally slapped myself for letting her affect me like that, and moved to stand in front of her. Slowly, I leant forward, using my height as an advantage, and cupped her cheeks. She looked up from the menu and met my gaze briefly before our lips crashed together. After a moment, she dropped the piece of paper and stepped closer to me, grabbing my waist. I gently bit her lower lip and she moaned softly, her hands travelling up my back towards my bra clasp. I broke the kiss and smiled at her, batting my eyelashes and skipping away to order the pizza. She growled in frustration and slumped onto the sofa.  
"So what pizza do you want sweetie?" I asked politely, unable to keep the smugness out of my voice.  
"Usual," she mumbled.  
"Okay," one meat feast and one bacon with extra cheese.  
After I had ordered, I walked into the bedroom and grabbed a blue oversized t-shirt that Santana had given me a few days ago. I pulled it over my head and smiled as Santana's familiar smell filled my senses.  
"Quinn?"  
"Just coming," I grabbed the duvet from our bed before skipping out of the bedroom and joining Santana on the couch. We pulled the duvet over ourselves and I cuddled into her side, smiling happily.  
"You're adorable," she laughed, playing with my hair.  
"So are you," I smiled, my eyes closing contentedly at the feel of Santana's gentle fingers massaging my head.  
"I love you," she whispered.  
"I love you too San,"  
"Even when we play teasing games?"  
I laughed and pretended to consider my answer, "yes, even when we play teasing games,"  
I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather be at that moment, and was glad that Santana had agreed to stay in with me. I hugged her and sighed happily. I was sure I'd never get tired of this.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Santana's POV

_Nine months later_

Slowly and as quietly as possible, I eased open the door of mine and Quinn's apartment. I slid inside and closed it behind me, now blind in the pitch black room. I dug my phone out of my jeans pocket and turned on the screen for light to guide me so I wouldn't crash into anything and wake Quinn up. _'1:06am'_. She was going to be so mad when she woke up the next morning.  
I'd been late home for the past few days and Quinn was losing patience with me. I had my reasons but I wasn't ready to tell her yet, so I just lied and told her I was 'studying late'. I wasn't sure that she was entirely convinced, but she let it slide and I was grateful for that. I knew that lying was toxic to a relationship, but I seriously deemed what I was doing as an appropriate exception.  
Quietly, I kicked off my shoes and padded over to the bedroom, still using my phone as a light. I fumbled for the door handle and ever so slowly inched it open, sighing with relief when I saw Quinn's delicate form laying tucked up in bed, silhouetted against the dim light seeping in from the ever awake city outside. I entered silently and put my phone on the bedside table, not needing it for light anymore as my eyes had adjusted. I stripped off my clothes and crept into the bathroom, brushing my teeth in the darkness. After removing my makeup and brushing my hair, I climbed in to bed wearing only my underwear. Just as I was about to crawl closer to Quinn, her bedside lamp flicked on and she rolled over to face me, frown lines prominently etched into her forehead.  
"Um, hey," I offered weakly.  
"What time do you call this, Santana?" She sat up against the headboard and crossed her arms.  
"Um, well I think it's like, ten past one..."  
"Don't play dumb with me," she dead panned. _Shit._  
"I'm sorry baby, I was-"  
"Working?"  
I swallowed and nodded, afraid of speaking and annoying her further.  
"I thought as much. So tell me _all _about what you're working on, San?"  
A heavy feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach and I twisted my hands together nervously. Should I keep up the lie? I couldn't tell her yet, so I guessed I'd have to.  
"Um, well we're working on a mock case at the moment," that wasn't strictly a lie; we _were_ working on a mock case.  
"And why does that mean you're coming home at 1am?"  
"Because we need to get it finished quickly so we're all putting in extra effort,"  
"Who's we?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.  
"Just the people in my class,"  
"Like who?"  
"You won't have met any of them,"  
"You never know, it's a small world. Tell me some names,"  
_Damn it._  
"Uhh, well there's Sammy, Alexis, Tom, Sarah, Lisa, Frankie..."  
"All of those sound like girls apart from Tom," she stated, her voice cold.  
"Um, I guess?"  
"You interested in anyone there? If you're willing to stay late with them they can't be all that bad,"  
I sat up abruptly and stared at her, my mouth open. "Quinn, what the hell?"  
"What? Just a question," she shrugged casually, refusing to meet my gaze.  
"Is that what this is about? You know I only have eyes for you,"  
Quinn smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She stared straight ahead, silent for a moment before sighing deeply.  
"Honestly Quinn,"  
Her lips moved slightly as she muttered something under her breath.  
"What did you say?"  
"Hmm?" She looked up, daring me to push further. I sighed in frustration and threw my hands up in surrender.  
"You know what, Quinn? I don't have to fucking prove anything to you. Think whatever the fuck you want," I growled, throwing the duvet off of me and standing up.  
"You don't have to prove anything, no, but it would be nice not lying to me! We've been together, what, 11 months now? How long have you been lying to me? I'm your girlfriend San, but that obviously means shit-"  
"Don't you fucking dare," I hissed through gritted teeth.  
"Don't dare what? To say the truth?"  
I stood there for a moment, my body tensed up like a snake about to strike. I was breathing heavily and it took all of my strength to not smash everything within reach.  
"Goodnight, Quinn," I spat, turning on my heel and opening the door.  
"That's right, run away from it San. Poor baby can't face her issues. Boo fucking hoo, Santana," she sneered.  
I stopped dead and turned slowly to face her. "What was that, Fabray?"  
"You heard me,"  
"Listen here, bitch. I'm not the one fucking running from my problems, you are. You're the one that has to say things under her breath and ask indirect questions because you're too damn chicken to do it properly. You're a coward, Fabray," I snarled, advancing back towards the bed. She stood up and walked over to me, her face twisted in anger.  
"You're calling _ME_ a coward, huh?"  
"Look who just decided to grow a fucking pair of ears. Congrats, doll face," we were practically nose to nose by now. She jabbed a finger on my chest and spoke in a dangerously quiet voice.  
"I'm not the one who was a closet lesbian. I've been through a teen pregnancy and near paralysis, so don't you even think about calling me a coward,"  
"What's even the point of bringing that up!? You know I had my reasons, Quinn, and I cant believe you'd use that against me. And newsflash honey, teen pregnancies don't make you brave, it just means you're a-"  
"Don't you dare," she spat.  
I leant in to her ear, purposefully brushing my lips against the sensitive skin.  
"_Slut_," I whispered, before pulling back and looking at her face for a reaction. As soon as soon as hazel eyes met brown ones, I felt a stab of pain across my left cheek and I gasped, staggering backwards and clutching my face. Quinn's slaps always had been the worst.  
"I can't even believe you! Get the fuck out of my sight _NOW_ you sneaky little bitch!"  
"You can't just fucking slap me! This isn't high school anymore, Q, you're not head cheerleader in this room,"  
"I said _GET OUT_!" She screamed. With a final scathing glare, I swiftly turned on the spot and swept out of the room, slamming the door behind me.  
Sitting down on the sofa and pulling my knees up to my chest, silent tears began to roll down my stinging cheeks and I furiously wiped them away. That got _very_ out of hand _very_ quickly. What the hell just happened? She was such a bitch sometimes, but I knew that I was too. I rested my head on my knees and groaned; regretting the insults that I'd thrown at her. For a moment I considered going back to try and reconcile, but we both still needed to cool off and I knew it'd do more harm than good, so instead, I went to fetch a blanket and laid down on the sofa. _She thought I was a coward for not coming out? _I hoped to god that she didn't really think that and that she'd only said it in a fit of anger. _But what if she meant it?_ We needed to talk about it again sometime, but definitely not now.  
What would happen next? That was our first big fight as a couple, and I knew that both of us were too stubborn to apologise, but we loved each other and had always pulled through. In High school, we were the Queen bitches and had our fair share of fights, but this was different; more feelings were involved.  
I sighed and snuggled down into the blanket, missing Quinn's comforting warmth. I couldn't let her go, so I guessed that in the morning I'd have to apologise, but her words were still ringing in my ears and the sharp sting of her slap hadn't faded yet. I sighed, deciding that Quinn was too perfect to stay mad at despite the harsh insults. That wasn't to say that Quinn would be as quick to forgive me; in retrospect I was _really_ out of line. Maybe I could move my secret project closer. Perhaps instead of in two weeks, I could have it ready in two days?  
I smiled and rolled over, brainstorming how I'd make my plan come to fruition sooner than expected.

**A/N I apologise if anyone's getting bored of this story, I guess I can see how it's kind of repetitive and I'm sorry! But things will happen, I promise, so for now, I hope you still enjoy it :) Also, can I just say that the things they shouted at each other aren't my opinions, I think they're both brave for everything they've been through. Reviews are always welcome and I'd really like to thank everyone for their lovely reviews, they all make me smile when I read them!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24  
Quinn's POV

I awoke the next morning bleary eyed and a lot grumpier than usual. Outside was overcast and grey, so my bedroom was blissfully dark as opposed to the usual harsh sunlight that streamed in. I rolled onto my back and stretched, suddenly realising that Santana wasn't next to me. I paused for a moment and my brow furrowed as memories of our argument the previous night came rushing back. A stab of pain and guilt shot through my stomach, before being replaced by fresh anger.  
How dare she say those things to me? How dare she arrive home and 1am and act like everything was fine? Sure, maybe slapping her wasn't the best option, but she thoroughly deserved it, and if that girl was cheating on me then she'd get a _hell_ of a lot worse than a slap.  
I threw my legs over the side of the bed and yawned, in a terrible mood already despite having only just woken up. Wobbling slightly, I stood and dragged myself over to the door, scrabbling for the handle and twisting it. I winced at the bright contrast of the living room and stumbled out, covering my face and groaning. After a moment, I opened my eyes and squinted round the room, my gaze landing on a figure sprawled out on the couch. A mixture of guilt and anger filled my chest but I pushed it down and made my way to the kitchen, averting my eyes from the semi-naked Santana who lay asleep, snoring quietly, twisted in a blanket. I sighed deeply and poured myself a bowl of cereal.  
How was I going to deal with her? I couldn't bear to face her; I wasn't ready to talk yet and no way in hell was I going to apologise. My behaviour may have been appalling but hers was ten times worse. As immature as it may be, the only suitable temporary solution I could think of was the silent treatment. I smirked and hopped up onto the kitchen surface, digging into my breakfast and humming quietly. After a couple of minutes, there was a dull thud and Santana crawled out from behind the sofa, blinking confusedly. I suppressed a laugh at her having fallen off of the couch, still tangled in a blanket.  
"Where am I?" She mumbled her voice thick with sleep. I jumped down from the counter and deposited my empty bowl in the sink before walking quickly back to the bedroom.  
"Quinn? Come here please? I want to give you a cuddle and say I'm-" I slammed the door behind me and entered the bathroom, turning on the shower and taking off my pyjamas. Santana knocked loudly on the door but I ignored her and stepped into the scalding spray of water.  
"Quinn?"  
She continued to plead with me for quite some time, but I proceeded to ignore her until she got the message and left me alone.  
After my quick shower, I got changed into a blue sundress and brown sandals, ready to leave for the library. As I gathered what I'd need, my laptop and some books, the bedroom door opened and Santana shuffled in tentatively. I didn't turn around.  
"I get that you're annoyed, Quinn, I totally understand, and I know that it's going to take a long time for us to move past this," I straightened up and slung my now full bag over my shoulder. "I just really need you to know that I would never cheat on you, and I love you more than I've ever loved anything or anyone," I turned and walked over to her, clenching and un-clenching my jaw.  
"Excuse me please, I need to go to the library and you're in front of the door," Santana looked surprised for a moment, as if she was expecting me to accept her kind words, before she stepped aside, her head hanging low.  
"Have a nice time," she mumbled. I nodded curtly in response, before tilting my chin up and swiftly exiting the room, my head held high despite the swirling mixture of emotions that were battling for dominance in my head. Her words were sweet, and usually I would've thought them sincere, but I was sure if I trusted her any more.  
Picking my keys up from the bowl on the coffee table, I left the apartment and began descending the stairs.  
She was a prime example of why it was easier not to trust anyone. All people ever did was hurt you, so if you didn't let them in, their attempts to crush you would be futile. I sighed heavily and walked to my car. If it had been the other way round and I was the sneaky one, how would Santana deal with it? She'd probably be exactly the same as me, but with a lot more angry Spanish. I smiled and twisted my key into the ignition, remembering how sexy she was when she spoke Spanish. _No!_ Damn her, I was supposed to be annoyed, not turned on! I shook my head as I pulled out into the road, making a mental list of why I was angry at her to help get rid of my previous thoughts.  
1. She lied to me  
2. She was home late regularly and offered no valid excuse  
3. She was potentially cheating on me  
4. She called me a coward  
5. She called me a slut  
6. She used my teen pregnancy against me  
I smacked my hand down onto the steering wheel, making the horn blare loudly; partially because of Santana making me angry again, but mainly because some dick had just overtaken me. "The fuck are you doing, asshole!? This is a street, not a highway you moron!" I screamed, even though I knew they couldn't hear me. Upon hearing my car horn, they stuck their arm out of their window and raised their middle finger. I gripped the wheel in anger, my knuckles turning white.  
I already had Santana making me angry; I didn't need this jackass making things worse. I stuck my middle finger up in return and growled. Just as I was about to press my foot on the accelerator, my phone buzzed in my pocket. A text message. I paused for a moment, having a horrible flashback.  
_ 'On my way,'__  
__ A horn blared. There was a loud crunch. Nothing. Numbness. Hospital beds, crippling pain, wheelchairs, physiotherapy. And worst of all, pity._  
I inhaled deeply and slowed down, releasing my death-grip on the steering wheel. I drove for a few more minutes, taking in deep breaths to calm myself and wishing that my flashbacks weren't so vivid. They kept me calm on the road though, so I guess there was one perk. I pulled into a parking spot in front of the library and checked my phone. 'I love you, have a nice day x'. I smiled at Santana's cuteness before climbing out of the car and making my way up the steps to the stone building ahead.

After my long study session, I got home to find that once again, Santana wasn't back. I searched every room twice, checking that she wasn't curled up asleep somewhere or hiding from me, but she definitely wasn't home. I growled in frustration and kicked the back of the sofa in my anger, only to be rewarded with a bleeding toe. "Shit!" I hobbled over to the kitchen, biting my lip to try and take my mind off of the throbbing pain in my foot. I glanced up at the fridge and saw a note pinned to it with a magnet. 'Be home late, I'm sorry babe. I made you stir fry though, it's in the fridge. I really am sorry. Love you x'.  
Today was just fucking perfect.

**A/N Blahh, sorry, it feels like I haven't posted in a while! Not a particularly eventful chapter but yeah. Also, thank you so much for your reviews, the past few have been especially lovely! And thank you so much for all of the followers and favourites!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25  
Santana's POV

It had been almost two days since mine and Quinn's 'little argument', and she was still stubbornly ignoring me. I had tried apologising repeatedly, cooking dinner, doing Quinn's half of the chores, I'd even serenaded her while she was in the shower (sure, that sounds lame, but hey, cut me some slack, I was desperate), and still nothing changed. I knew I'd messed up pretty darn bad because even lots, and I mean _lots_, of bacon hadn't helped whatsoever. She'd given me one word answers to questions occasionally and I'd think that it was progress, but then she'd completely tune me out again and I lost hope.  
But my grand surprise was finally almost ready. I'd planned to have it done I'm two days, but that time frame was too tight, so I settled for three days; that way I could still sort everything that I needed. Now all I had to do was hold out and not burst from excitement until tomorrow, which would be the most difficult part; keeping my mouth shut wasn't exactly a strong suit of mine.  
I was on the way home from getting groceries for tonight's dinner and I could feel the familiar guilt and sadness settle in my stomach as I drew nearer our building. I used to look forward to coming home when Quinn actually spoke to me, but now her silence just reminded me of all the disgusting insults we had thrown at each other. I sighed and pulled into a parking spot.  
Tonight we needed to talk, otherwise tomorrow's plans wouldn't work; Quinn needed to cooperate. I opened the door and got out, walking to the trunk and stooping to retrieve the shopping bags. Squinting in the bright sunlight and slowly putting the bags back down; I slipped on my aviators and looked around, breathing in deeply and smiling. New York was just breath-taking. Despite having lived there for over a year, sometimes I still had to do a double take and give myself a mental slap saying _'you're actually here, in New York, and you didn't have to threaten anybody to do it'_. I looked up at all of the huge skyscrapers against a brilliant blue sky, I observed all of the loud cars rushing past, I smiled at the infamous yellow taxi's, and I embraced all of the individuals that lived here. I was one of them; a proud lover of New York.  
I shook my head, reminding myself that now wasn't the time to be an awestruck tourist: I should've been over that phase by now. I scooped up the bags again and nudged the trunk door shut before locking my car and making my way towards the building. As I walked, some creep on the sidewalk wolf whistled and without looking round, (I didn't need to; he was obviously whistling at me) I stuck my middle finger up and continued on my way, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the vulgarity of some men. Quinn had been right at the wedding; practically all guys were pigs with a few rare exceptions.  
I began the long trek up to our floor and started to consider what I'd say to Quinn later on. What if she didn't want to talk? It'd be typical of her to run away from facing our issues, but we _really_ needed to have a chat about things. No way was I letting her go; I was too in love, and I was sure that she felt the same, even if she wouldn't admit it to me or even herself. She had started to rebuild her virtually impenetrable walls, and all the progress that we had made was shattered. That was what made me feel worst. Not the anger or insults, although they were still horrible, but the destroying of our trust and respect for each other. Blinking away tears that threatened to fall, I opened our apartment door and entered, surveying the area for Quinn. I dumped the bags on the kitchen counter and stood still for a moment, listening for any indications to Quinn's whereabouts. As soon as I fell silent and stopped moving, I heard music playing in our bedroom and I smiled. She must be doing some school work; Beyoncé was her 'art jam' as she called it. Quietly, I walked to the bedroom door and pressed my ear against the cold wood, closing my eyes. I could hear her soft voice singing along and I allowed myself to get lost in the silkiness and delicateness of her tone. She may not be able to belt out songs like Mercedes and Rachel, but she could still make anyone listening get goose bumps, and her voice was still absolutely gorgeous and mesmerising.  
"_Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace_," she sang softly.  
"_Baby I can see your halo_," I joined her for the chorus, grinning. I knew she'd heard me but continued to sing anyway, even though she was supposed to be angry. That was the beauty of music; it pushed all of your worries aside and let you concentrate on a moment, your emotions, the lyrics, and the undeniable connection you got when singing a duet.  
When the song finished, I slowly opened the door and poked my head around it, smiling when Quinn actually turned and looked at me sheepishly.  
"Hey," I said, sliding into the room and closing the door behind me. She paused for a moment before sighing and allowing herself a small smile.  
"Hi," she murmured, turning back to the desk she was sat at in order to set aside her sketching pencils.  
"Sorry for intruding on your little jam sesh," I chuckled, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. She smiled again and looked at me properly for the first time in what seemed like forever.  
"You made it better, I was ruining that song but thankfully you saved it," she said, a twinkle in her eye. I laughed and patted the bed next to me. She hesitated for a moment, her body tensing up and her brow furrowing as if she was having some sort of internal war. After a strained pause, her body relaxed and she stood up, coming to join me.  
"I think we should have a chat, Quinn," I murmured, wanting nothing more than to put my arm around her and finally get the contact that I'd been craving for the past couple of days. But instead, I sat still, lacing my fingers together nervously.  
"Me too," she sighed. For a tense moment, neither of us spoke, until Quinn sneezed.  
"Bless you," I chuckled, finding her little sneeze adorable.  
"Thank you," she sniffled, looking down at the floor. I waited for a moment before clearing my throat and starting to speak.  
"Look, Quinn, I understand what I said was absolutely vile, and I take back every word I said in that argument. I think you're probably _the_ bravest person I've ever met," I paused, allowing her to absorb everything I was saying. "I know that you probably can't ever properly forgive me and I completely respect that; I don't deserve your kindness. But I do really want us to at least make a start at moving past this. Unless you don't want to move past," I added nervously, hoping that she did want to move on. She sighed and took my hand.  
"I'm not going to pretend that your words didn't hurt San, because that would be one heck of a lie. But I am willing to start moving past this. Like you said, I won't ever be able to properly forgive you, but I can try. On one condition,"  
"Anything," I squeezed her hand, grateful that she had been the one to make first contact.  
"Can you promise me something?"  
"Of course,"  
She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, composing herself.  
"Santana, promise me that you're not cheating on me, and promise me that you never will, that you'll always be faithful," she whispered, looking into my eyes imploringly. My heart broke all over again at the fact she no longer trusted me and that she even considered for _a moment_ that I was being unfaithful. Sure, I could see how she had jumped to that conclusion, but I had just hoped that she wouldn't.  
"Quinn I promise you, I swear on my life that I'm not cheating on you and I never will. I love you more than anything and I would never ever do anything like that to you. It'd be like throwing away a diamond for a pebble," I smiled softly at her, meaning every word I said.  
She blushed before saying, "how do you know it'd be a pebble? Why not trade a diamond for another diamond?"  
"Because anyone compared to you is a pebble," I whispered, mustering up some courage from within and leaning forward, gently connecting our lips. Sparks flew at the contact and familiar electricity flooded through me. Her hand on the back of my neck deepened the kiss and I wrapped my arms around her waist. After a blissful, much anticipated moment, our lips parted and we rested our foreheads together, breathing heavily.  
"You're not off the hook missy, but that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me," she grinned.  
"You know me, always the charmer; comparing people to rocks," I teased. She laughed and slapped my arm lightly. "So, are we okay for now?" I asked hesitantly.  
"Sure. And uhh, I'm sorry for, you know, slapping you and shouting at you," she mumbled.  
"It's fine, I had it coming," I shrugged.  
She smirked and shrugged too, "you _were_ being an ass,"  
"Watch it," I grinned. "I missed you Quinn. Please don't ever ignore me like that again?"  
"I'll try not to, but I can't promise anything," she smirked and cuddled into my side. I laughed and shook my head at her cheekiness.  
"Good enough for me,"  
She smiled before sitting up quickly. "I just realised I haven't eaten since breakfast; I got too caught up in my work to eat. Did you get anything for dinner? It's like, 5pm and I can feel myself withering away," she joked, leaning her head on my shoulder.  
"Yep, you hungry for my _Lopez special fajitas_?"  
"Always,"

**A/N That took me way longer to write than I thought it would! Sorry I haven't posted for ages, but I hope this chapter was okay :) Reviews are always welcome and I love reading them. Thank you for all your reviews and follows and favourites!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26  
Santana's POV

"Morning sweet cheeks," I yawned, stretching the free arm that wasn't draped around Quinn above my head, wincing in pain as my knuckles made sharp contact with the wooden headboard. "Quinn? I said morning, little grumpy one," I laughed, squeezing her gently and smiling when she just burrowed her head closer to my neck.  
"Nffht ah murnun pshn," she mumbled, wrapping herself tighter around me. I kissed the top of her head and hugged her, rolling us so that I was on top.  
"Hey, I was comfy," she protested, frowning and opening her eyes a fraction. "What the hell are you playing at San? It's so _early_,"  
I pressed a quick kiss to her lips and grinned as she moved her head up slightly, asking for more. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, I leant back down and gently bit her bottom lip before sucking it into my mouth. Her responding moan sent shivers down my spine and I pulled back, peppering her face with little kisses. She broke into a smile and fully opened her eyes to look at me. "You're gorgeous in the morning, you know that right San? And I love wake-up kisses,"  
"I know, and I love them too," I winked. "But you're gorgeous as well, seriously, I didn't know anyone could look that good so early,"  
She blushed and laughed, grinning again and kissing my nose. "You're such a sap,"  
"Only for you," I shrugged. "Hey, was that a smile I saw Fabray?" I pretended to gasp and looked dramatically at my wrist. "But it's not even 1pm yet, I don't think I've ever seen you smile before lunch!"  
She scowled and slapped my waist lightly. "Leave me alone, I'm not a morning person. What happened to the nice, happy Santana that was here a minute ago? I miss her, I don't like the annoying Santana," she pouted. "What got you so happy this morning anyway, S?" She asked, frowning a little.  
Why was I happy? Well, tonight I would be finally doing something that I had been planning for ages. Not only that, but Quinn and I were back to our happy couple-ness, which meant that everything should go off without a hitch. Sure, I still had a lot of stuff to make up and apologise for, but tonight would be the beginning of that. And hopefully it would be the start of forever.  
"I'm happy because I'm with you, Quinn. It's a lovely morning too, but really, I'm just happy that we're okay now,"  
"Better than okay," she smiled. Her sleepy morning voice was husky and sexy as hell. I kissed her again, this time more deeply, and she wrapped her slender arms around my neck, pulling me close and fuelling the fire that was building in the pit of my stomach. She moaned into the kiss and the sound shot straight to my core.  
"Mmmm, I'm horny in the morning," Quinn mumbled against my lips.  
_Fuck._  
"No further information needed," I straddled her and sat up, pulling off my tank top and watching Quinn's face as she remembered that I wasn't wearing a bra. I smirked with satisfaction and proceeded to undress her, kissing her as much as I could in the process. She tangled her fingers in my hair as I kissed down her neck and back up to her ear, nipping lightly on the sensitive skin. "I love waking up like this," I whispered, listening to her sharp intake of breath as I sucked on her earlobe. Her nails dug into my scalp and I kissed my way down her torso, stopping at the smooth skin under her breast. I sucked gently at first, before biting down and sucking harder, wanting to leave a mark.  
"Fuck," she moaned, writhing beneath me. "Don't make me wait any more, San,"  
I smirked and traced her abs with my tongue. She didn't have to ask me twice.

"When will you be back, Q?" I called from the bathroom, wrapping my hair in a towel and doing up my bra. We had both just come out of the shower and even though we'd only been awake for about an hour and a half, we'd had sex several times, including the bed, shower, sofa and kitchen counter. I hadn't allowed time for 'extracurricular activities' so I was already behind my schedule for the day, but thankfully Quinn was off to Rachel's for a bit, so I could get things started.  
I'd let dwarf and lady Hummel in on the plan and they were super excited for us and completely approved of my plan. 'Perfect timing' had been Rachel's comment, and Kurt had been too busy clapping and squealing to give me a response.  
"I don't know, depends how long Berry decides to talk for," Quinn replied, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Knowing her, it'll be ages, so I wouldn't wait up for me,"  
"Okay, have fun, don't spend too long making out with her," I teased. Mocking their friendship was my way of dealing with my jealousy of how close they were. Quinn knew that, so she always let it slide.  
"Very funny. I'll see you later sweetie,"  
"Adios,"  
The door shut and I immediately jumped into action.

Third person POV

Quinn came home a couple of hours later to find an empty apartment. Frowning and checking her phone for any missed calls from Santana, she shut the door behind her and took a step forward. Her foot crunched on something and she looked down, finding a squashed Malteser sweet beneath her shoe. Confused, she scanned the area and found a trail leading to the bedroom. "What's she up to," Quinn murmured, a smile forming on her lips. She followed the line of chocolate, picking up a few and popping them into her mouth along the way, and opened the door. Her gaze fell upon an emerald green dress lying on the bed with a post-it note attached. _'I see you followed the trail, huh? Put this on please gorgeous, I know it'll go perfectly with your eyes- Santana xx'__  
_ Perplexed and somewhat wary, Quinn slipped on the dress and noticed a second post-it note lying underneath where the dress had been. _'There are some heels in the bathroom that I picked out too, please put them on, they'll make your ass look even better then it usually does, which is quite a feat- Santana xx'__  
_ Searching around for any cameras to see if she was being punk'd or something, she tentatively walked to the bathroom and found said pair of heels with yet another note. _'I prefer you looking more natural, so please don't bother with make-up, you look better without- Santana xx'__  
_ Quinn was getting the hang of her little notes and walked back into the bedroom to where she kept her make-up on the dressing table. _'Also, do whatever you like best with your hair please, I love it no matter what- Santana xx_' glancing down at the floor to her right, she saw a note attached to her straighteners. _'The hobbit is waiting for you in her car now, go down please and just trust her, she knows where to take you. Don't ask too many questions, I still want this to be a surprise- Santana xx'__  
_ Shaking her head and smiling, she sat on the stool facing the mirror and started to pull her hair up into a messy bun, leaving ringlets at the side that framed her face perfectly. Satisfied, she made her way down to where Rachel was waiting.

Santana's POV

She should be here any second. I paced nervously around the fountain at Central Park, wringing my hands and wondering if this was the right thing to do.  
No, of course it was the right thing to do. Some may think that it was a bad idea considering Quinn and I had recently fought, but the fact that we had made it through relatively unscathed meant that we could get through anything, and that's what my action was going to represent.  
A cute red Mini Cooper pulled up and I recognised it as Rachel's car. Quickly, I glanced around me, making sure that everything was set up. I'd never done anything like this before, and I was terrified by the prospect of putting my heart on the line, but I had faith in Quinn, and that faith alone was enough to calm my nerves.  
The passenger door opened and Quinn got out, looking absolutely stunning in the outfit that I had picked for her. I had to close my mouth otherwise I would be sure to start drooling. I thought that _I _looked pretty good in my red dress and leather jacket, but _damn_, she definitely looked a million times better. The dress stopped mid-thigh and showcased her wonderfully long legs, and her feet were encased in a gorgeous pair of plain black Louis Vuitton heels. Her dress was strapless and the smooth skin of her shoulders and neck was exposed. Her boobs had been pushed up and her cleavage looked so inviting, I considered abandoning my plan and just making love to her instead. But no, I wanted to do this. I really, _really_ wanted to do this.  
"San, care to explain what all this is?" She smiled as she approached me, looking around us in awe.  
"Explain what?" I grinned, stepping forward and placing a soft kiss on her lips.  
"All this. Why are you doing it? If it's to make up for our argument then there's no need, I've already forgiven you as much as I can,"  
"No, I just wanted to do something special. What do you think?"  
"It's breath-taking San, honestly, and I can't believe you did this for me, thank you," she murmured, pressing her lips to mine again.  
"I'm glad you like it. Come sit down with me," I pulled her by the hand to the picnic blanket that was set up next to the fountain. She sat with me and looked around, her eyes shining. I glanced around too, taking a moment to admire my handiwork.  
I looked at the picnic blanket with the food and candles, I looked at the fountain that was adorned with hundreds of tiny fairy lights, I looked at the Chinese lanterns that were floating away in the sky, and then finally I glanced down at the tiny velvet box that was nestled in my jacket pocket. I breathed in deeply before turning to her and opening the basket of food.  
"Eat up, I got your favourite,"

After we had eaten, we found ourselves cuddled up on the blanket, just looking at the stars and enjoying each other's company. _Now was the perfect time_. Slowly I sat up and looked down at her, running a finger over the pale, smooth skin of her cheek. She sat up too, frowning a little.  
"How come you got up? Were you uncomfortable?"  
"No, not at all,"  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah. This is where I asked you to be my girlfriend, remember?"  
She nodded and smiled. "Of course I remember. It was one of the best days of my life,"  
"I'm glad you remember it so fondly. Hopefully we'll have more memories like that here," I mused. She didn't quite know what to make of my comment, so she just looked at me, still smiling softly. "You know I love you, right?"  
Quinn suddenly looked worried, so I grabbed her hands to steady her nerves.  
"I know you love me, I love you too," she whispered, her eyes sparkling a gorgeous hazel is the soft light surrounding us.  
"Good. Quinn, you're the best thing that ever happened to-"  
"Are you breaking up with me?" She whispered. "Is this what this is?"  
"No! I promise, just listen to me," I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb. She nodded and I continued. "Quinn, I know we have our fights, but we always pull through. I've known you for as long as I can remember, and we've always had a special connection. We get each other like no one else does, which is one of the reasons I'm so excited to do this," I breathed in deeply, and reached inside the pocket of my leather jacket and pulled out the box, opening it in front of her to reveal a gold ring with two emeralds sitting either side of a diamond. She gasped and her hands flew to her mouth, her eyes swimming with tears.  
"You may think, _'but San, we just had a fight,_' or, _'but San, we've only been together officially for just under a year,_' and I know that, Quinn, but the fact that we pulled through just makes me certain that this is the right decision. And I personally feel as if we've been together a lot longer. I've been working late to pay for this ring, I got a job as a waitress, that's why I couldn't tell you why I was coming home late; it wouldn't have been a surprise. I'm sorry I had to lie, I'll never do it again, but I really wanted this to be something special, something that you deserve," I swallowed nervously and shifted so that I was kneeling on one knee. "Lucy Quinn Fabray, I promise to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, and I promise that I will be the wife you deserve. No matter what happens, I will stand by you and I will support you as best I can for as long as I live. I love you so much it hurts, and I'm certain that you're the one for me. So will you do me the honour of becoming my wife, Quinn?" I pulled the ring from the box and held it between my index finger and thumb. Our gaze met and slowly she removed her hands from her mouth. A tear rolled down her cheek and she grinned, her cheeks a gorgeous shade of red. She shakily held out her left hand and nodded vigorously.  
"Say it please, babe," I whispered, sliding the ring onto her finger where it sat perfectly. She leant forwards, brushing her lips against mine.  
"_Yes,"_

**A/N This is probably my favourite chapter as of yet. I hope you liked it, and reviews are much appreciated, as usual. Thanks to everyone who did review, and thanks to everyone that has favourited or followed, it means a lot :)**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27  
Quinn's POV  
_  
__One year later_

"Quinn, where the fuck is that catalogue?"  
"If I knew then you'd have it sweetie,"  
From where I was sat in our bedroom, I could hear Santana scrabbling around in the living room, swearing loudly in Spanish as she searched desperately for the wedding catalogue that included all of our little annotations and notes for our dream wedding.  
The past year of engagement had been wonderful and I could definitely see that Santana had proposed at the perfect time. After I had found out why she was coming home late, our trust had been immediately restored and I scolded myself for ever doubting her. We hadn't had any more scares like that since, although that's not to say that we never had arguments; that would be crazy. After all, I was still Quinn Fabray and she was still Santana Lopez. It was written in the stars that we couldn't get along 100% of the time, but that was part of our relationship and I loved it. Our banter was what made us such an old married couple already and I daren't imagine what we'd be like when we actually _were_ an old married couple.  
"I found it!" Her exclamation was followed by several loud whoops and a happy dance, before she came skipping over to where I was sat at the desk in our room.  
"Good," I smiled, releasing a relieved sigh and swivelling the chair round to face her. She hopped on to my lap and kissed my cheek, dumping the heavy catalogue on the desk.  
"I can't believe how fast this has come up, it seems like it's months away but it's not," she rested her head on my shoulder and inhaled deeply.  
"I know, it's less than a month and I swear we still have a million and one things to do," I laughed, bringing my shaking hands up to play with her hair. My laugh was laced with nervousness and apprehension for the upcoming event; it wasn't that I was getting cold feet; I was just panicking that nothing would be ready. Santana could evidently feel my anxiety and smiled reassuringly, looking up at me.  
"It'll be okay though, I've booked the flights and stuff, all we need to do is fly out and check everything and then we'll be set,"  
"I know San, but surely you can't tell me you're not even a _teeny_ but worried?" I closed my eyes and leant my chin on her shoulder. San was never the type to lose her cool over things. When we were co-captains of the Cheerios, I was always the one to stress out whereas San would just shout at me to _'calm the fuck down and get a grip Blondie_. Ah, happy memories.  
She sighed and hesitated, carefully selecting her words. "I'm not worried about everything not going to plan because we've sorted it all and we've done the checklist and stuff,"  
I could sense that there was more, but she didn't elaborate. She was one of those infuriating people that you had to painstakingly extract information from and would never tell you anything willingly. Sure, she was a lot better than she used to be, but it was still an arduous task to actually get anything out of her.  
"Buuuut..?" I coaxed, leaning forward and tucking a stray tendril of hair behind her ear.  
"Are you sure you want to marry me, Quinn? You could have anyone you wanted but you're settling for-"  
I silenced her with a soft kiss, before pulling back and looking her straight in the eyes. "I am in no way settling, Santana. I don't deserve you, now shut up. Of course I want to marry you, dumb ass," I laughed, kissing her temple. She cracked a smile and snuggled into my side.  
"Are you sure?"  
"More sure than I've ever been about anything in my life. You're the one for me, I'm certain,"  
"Promise?"  
"Promise,"  
"Thank you," she mumbled.  
There was a slight pause before I spoke. "I want to go over that check list again,"  
"Stop worrying!" she laughed, "it'll be fine babe, we got this,"  
I sighed heavily. "Fine,"

Almost three weeks had passed and Santana and I had gone over everything several times and I was now satisfied that we had indeed covered everything. We were getting married in Puerto Rico so that Santana's extended family could attend and everyone else would also get a mini holiday. We were flying out that afternoon so that we could have a rehearsal and also check out the venue for our reception. I had to admit, I was nervous as hell; in just two days, I would become Quinn Lopez.  
We had decided that I should take Santana's name because neither of us wanted anything to do with my scum bag father, and being a Fabray would only bring up unwanted memories and link us to him. As for our honeymoon, I was clueless as to where we were going; Santana had arranged it and had said that it was a surprise. As sweet as that was, Santana always seemed to be the one surprising me, so I had arranged a second honeymoon without her knowing. We would spend a week wherever she wanted to take me, and then we would spend another week where I wanted to take her. It was perfect.  
"Quinn, you ready to go? We gotta be at the airport in like, half an hour," Santana called. She was stood by the doorway with two over-stuffed suitcases next to her, looking gorgeous in a pair of jogging bottoms and a blue tight fitting t-shirt.  
"Yep, just coming," I gripped the handles of my 2 slightly smaller suitcases and set about hauling them to the door. It was easier said than done. After a few minutes of struggling and cursing, I was free of the bedroom and walked over to Santana, breathing heavily with my arms already aching.  
"If you're tired now, you're going to be even worse when we walk down the stairs," she grinned, grabbing all of her stuff and somehow managing to get out of the apartment without too much trouble. She quickly began her descent and I groaned, reluctantly attempting to follow her. After wedging myself tightly in the doorframe several times, I admitted defeat and requested Santana's assistance. I could hear her laughter from the bottom of the staircase and I grumbled in annoyance as she jogged back up to help me.  
"It's really not that difficult, Fabray, I would've thought that a genius like you could figure out how to get down the stairs with two suitcases," she sniggered, taking hold of the heavier one and lifting it effortlessly. I swore at her under my breath and picked up my remaining case with some difficulty.  
"Come on Q, we got a plane to catch and it's not going to wait all day for you," she sang, tilting her head to the side and smirking at me.  
"Go fuck yourself," I grumbled. She laughed in response and set off once more, this time with me close behind.

When we finally arrived at the resort in Puerto Rico, we were both exhausted and extremely grumpy. It was dark outside and the air was sticky and humid, but both of us were excited by what being there meant.  
We went up to the room in comfortable silence, both looking forward to falling asleep and resting our aching bodies.  
"Your suite, m'lady," Santana winked, opening the door for me and stepping aside with a small bow. I laughed and nodded my head as I walked past her.  
I whistled and looked around at our new home for the next couple of days. It was certainly a very nice place.  
The room was tastefully (and from the looks of it, expensively) decorated, with a general theme of burgundy and gold. There was a large four poster bed to the right with matching ornate wardrobes and drawers. To the left there was a spotless kitchen, on the far wall was a cosy looking lounge area, and next to it was a door that presumably lead into the bathroom.  
"Sweet," Santana grinned, closing the door behind her and wrapping an arm around my waist. "What do you think, Blondie?"  
"It's gorgeous," I murmured, smiling as she rested her chin on my shoulder.  
"I especially look forward to using and abusing that bed," she whispered, her breath tickling my neck. I groaned softly and leant my head against hers. "But perhaps not tonight? You look pretty tired babe, I don't want to wear you out for tomorrow and the rehearsals,"  
Reluctantly I nodded and picked up my suitcases, wheeling them over to the bedroom area and placing them by the wardrobe. "You can have the drawers," I said, blowing her a kiss and laughing at her crestfallen face.  
"No fair, I have more stuff than you," she whined. I shrugged in response, a smirk on my lips, and bent down, unzipping a case to try and find my wash bag so that I could get ready for bed. I heard her huff behind me and I stifled a laugh; not wanting to piss her off when she was already cranky.  
In about fifteen minutes, we were both ready for bed. I was lying beneath the covers in my underwear, having abandoned pyjamas in the heat. Santana came sauntering over, she too clad only in her bra and panties. "Sleepy time or do you want to read longer?" she asked softly, crawling in and settling next to me.  
"Snugly sleepy time," I smiled, closing my book and setting it on the antique wooden bedside table, flicking off the lamp. Santana rolled over and I moved to spoon her, revelling in the comfort that she still provided me with even after all our time together.  
"I love you,"  
"I love you too sweetie," I replied quietly, placing a light kiss on her bare shoulder.  
"Night babe,"  
"Night,"

The next day brought with it sunshine and blue skies, which in turn made Santana and I even happier than we thought possible. It was time for the wedding rehearsal, so we were stood, barefoot, on a white sandy beach with the waves rolling in softly next to us.  
"You stand here tomorrow while the sun go down and your friend Joe will be minister, yes?" The owner of the resort we were staying at and using for guests and the reception stood in front of us, gesturing animatedly with his hands. He spoke in strained English with a heavy Spanish accent which I found to be endearing.  
"Tarantula head, that's right," Santana smiled, squeezing my hand. Paulo frowned slightly in confusion at Santana's words.  
"_No entendio_," he said, referring to 'tarantula'.  
"Ignore her," I laughed, nudging Santana with my elbow, asking her to behave. He shrugged and continued.  
"After the ceremony, you come inside and ah," he paused for a moment, searching for the word in English, "reception?" He said it as more of a question.  
"Sounds good," I grinned, excitement building in my stomach.  
"You two are a very pretty couple, I give you open bar as wedding present," he smiled, deep lines forming dimples on his dark, weathered face.  
My heart melted at this old adorable man in his brightly coloured shirt, and I couldn't bring myself to accept his kind offer.  
"No no sir, we couldn't ask you to do that," Santana looked just as enamoured by him as I was.  
"Don't be silly, it's my present. I remember when I was young, I remember when I got married to my wife. We were in love. She passed away last year but I know that she would be just as happy to offer you this as I am. You're helping me lots by doing this, it's the least I can do," he reasoned. When he spoke of his wife, a distant look overcame his features and I couldn't help but feel bad for him. I glanced at Santana and she shrugged, obviously feeling as torn as I did. Paulo noticed our hesitation and broke into a smile.  
"I make this easy for you, I no take no for an answer,"  
I beamed at the little man in front of us and fought the strong urge to hug him. Santana moved closer to me and wrapped an arm around my waist.  
"We're very grateful for this, sir, thank you," she smiled.  
"Is no problem, and don't call me sir young lady," he winked, waggling a finger and making us both laugh. "I must go back inside now, but you ladies can do whatever you want. I see you tomorrow at the wedding," he bowed his head to us and shuffled away, leaving Santana and I alone facing a crystal clear ocean.  
"I can't wait to be Mrs Lopez," I grinned, pulling Santana into a hug.  
"Me neither. I really can't imagine what I'd do without you Quinn, I'm sorry I don't say it enough," she kissed my nose gently and smiled.  
"You do tell me enough sweetie, but even if you think that you don't, we have forever, starting tomorrow,"  
Her deep brown eyes were shining in the bright sunlight and in that moment I could honestly not picture anything more perfect.  
"I can't wait for forever to start,"  
"Me neither sweetie,"  
We stood there for goodness knows how long, basking in the warmth of the sun and just holding each other, both of us wrapped up in our thoughts of what tomorrow would bring.

**A/N Whoops, late update, I'm sorry! Thank you to those who have stuck by this story, I hope you still enjoy it and I really appreciate you taking the time to read it. Reviews are always welcome, I love reading them and they honestly make my day :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28  
Santana's POV

"Come on Lopez, deep breaths. This is the day you've been waiting for and you're not going to screw this up,"  
I was stood in front of a full length mirror in one of the resort's unoccupied rooms. Paulo, the owner, had kindly allowed me to use it for getting ready, and while it was a lovely room and I was lucky to be allowed to use it, I was mostly grateful to be away from other people. It was just me on my own, giving myself a pep talk while the guests milled about on the beach and found their designated seats. I took another breath and looked at my dress for the umpteenth in the mirror.  
It was undeniably beautiful; smooth white silk covered by intricately woven lace. My loosely curled hair fell in waves over my bare shoulders. There were no straps on the dress and I had to admit, my tits did look great. How Quinn was going to keep her eyes on my face during the ceremony, I didn't know, but I wasn't going to object if her eyes did happen to wander. My makeup had been expertly applied by my cousin, Ana, and she sure as hell did a great job. My eyes had a smoky effect to them, my cheeks were rosy and my favourite bright red lipstick had been applied, providing contrast to the pure white of my dress.  
I walked over to the coffee table in the centre of the room, picking up the single red rose that lay there and examining it before returning to my spot in front of the mirror. I reached up and tucked the delicate flower behind my ear, smiling with satisfaction as I looked at it. Perfect.  
There was a knock at the door and it opened slightly. I watched through the mirror as my Mother poked her head in and smiled warmly.  
"Mija, the service will be starting soon," she stepped forward and closed the door carefully behind her, walking over to join me.  
"Okay mama,"  
"Nervous?" She asked, stepping behind me and resting her chin on my shoulder, still smiling. I noticed that her eyes were watering slightly, so I turned to face her, raising a hand and placing it on her cheek.  
"A little, but it's okay, I'm more excited than nervous," I paused and searched her face, noting the slightly trembling lip, "Don't worry mama, everything is fine," I dropped my hand and allowed it to fall to my side before finding my mother's and gripping it reassuringly.  
She sighed and looked at me with eyes that were identical to mine, except for the tears that were glistening and threatening to spill. A watery laugh escaped her lips and she turned her head away, raising her other hand and presumably wiping away tears. "Look at you mija, all grown up. What a beautiful young woman you are," she smiled sadly, turning back to me, this time with tear tracks visible on her cheeks. Not many people had seen Maribel Lopez in this kind of state, and there was something about seeing such a strong woman cry that made my eyes begin to water and my heart break.  
"Don't be silly mama, you'll ruin both our makeup," I laughed, my voice cracking slightly.  
"Lo siento mi amor, I guess I just need to accept that my little girl isn't so little now; she's a gorgeous young lady who's about to be married to another gorgeous young lady," she sniffed slightly and smiled again. "You two are such a wonderful couple, congratulations mija. You will be happy, I know it, and I'm thrilled to have Quinn as a daughter in law,"  
A tear ran down my cheek and I didn't bother to swat it away. Instead, I stepped forward and enveloped my mother in a bone-crushing hug. She laughed and squeezed me tight, lifting me off the floor a little as she did so, despite the fact that I was taller than her.  
"Gracias mama, te amo,"  
"Te amo little one, so much," we broke apart and I wiped under my eyes tentatively with my thumb, being careful not to ruin my makeup. "Come on, let's get this show on the road," I beamed, leaning down to kiss her cheek. We walked hand in hand out of the room and made our way through the lobby, strolling down the steps and into the warm air of Puerto Rico. My bare feet were met with warm sandy pavement and I grinned, wondering how many weddings had taken place with a 'no shoes allowed' policy. As we walked down the path with palm trees either side of us, I glanced upwards to the blue sky and breathed in deeply. I wanted to cherish this moment forever.  
Before I knew it, I felt soft sand between my toes and we were on the open beach. Ahead of us were about two dozen chairs with an aisle separating the two halves, dividing my guests and Quinn's.  
"Oh! I almost forgot your bouquet mija, I'll run back to get it," my mother looked at me apologetically before scurrying away, retracing our steps. I watched her go and shook my head in amusement before turning back to the beach, watching the guests all talking to each other animatedly. I was stood by a palm tree, partially hidden so no one had noticed me and I was glad; I wanted to make a grand entrance when the time came. I scanned the crowd and promptly located my father standing near the rose-adorned wedding arch that had been erected. He had his back to me but I could tell by his wildly gesticulating hands that he was in an argument with someone that I couldn't see. I sighed and turned my back to everyone, wishing that my dad would be able to keep his temper under control for his daughter's wedding day at least, but oh well, the infamous Lopez temper was ever present and I wasn't one to talk.  
"Tana I forgot how lovely these flowers were!" I heard my mother's accented voice and I looked up to see her walking back to me, a dopey look on her face as she gazed at the bouquet of red roses in her hand. "They go so nicely with your lipstick and the rose in your hair. Here, complete the outfit," she passed me the bouquet and watched as I positioned them in front of me, holding them with care. Her hands flew dramatically to her mouth and I laughed, shaking my head again.  
"You look absolutely stunning mi amor, it's perfect!" she gushed, her eyes tearing up once more.  
"Hey, no more crying, okay? If you cry then I'll end up crying too," I attempted a smile but it was strained.  
"You're right, sorry. Come on, let's find your father," she dabbed at her eyes and I smiled softly as I observed her. This woman had been such an inspirational figure in my life and I loved her so much, and the fact that she was here with me right now made me want to burst in to tears of joy. I always knew that I got my looks from her, and I could tell more than ever in that moment how alike we were.  
Her black hair was tossed over one shoulder in gorgeous waves that shone in the sun, her lips were a shade darker red than mine, and her dress was a lovely rich blue. Even though she was in her early forties, she still looked young and energetic. Smile lines were visible by her warm brown eyes when she smiled, which gave her the impression of being trustworthy and kind.  
"He was by the arch but I don't think he's there now," I said, glancing over my shoulder.  
"No, I can see him sitting down. Wait here while I tell everybody that we're starting now," she touched my arm and smiled before walking past and hurrying away.  
_ This is it. I can't fuck this up now, no way, this is the moment I've been waiting for._  
I heard the sounds of many chairs moving and turned around to see the former glee club members standing up and making their way over to the right hand side of the altar. A skinny guy with short, dark hair walked over to the arch and stood their patiently, a bible in hand. My mouth fell open as I suddenly realised that it was teen Jesus, minus the crazy dreadlocks. He noticed me from where I was stood and gave me a discrete thumbs up. I smiled back at him and wondered when he had finally made the decision to cut off those mangy locks and get a decent hair style. My musings were interrupted by the soft sound of my friend's voices harmonising beautifully to the introduction of "somebody to love" by Queen. Thankfully Frankenteen wouldn't be singing a solo (at Quinn's insistence) and instead would just be humming. I smiled as my parents came over to me, my father looking handsome as ever in a charcoal suit with a deep blue tie, matching my mother's dress. My heart warmed at the sight of them, still happy after all that time, and I hoped that Quinn and I could be like them; an adorable, perfectly matched couple even after many years of marriage.  
"You look beautiful Tana," my dad smiled, extending his arm for me to hold.  
"Thank you," I whispered.  
"Let's go little one,"  
My mother was on my left, unable to hold my hand or arm given that I was holding my bouquet of roses. She beamed at me, her eyes tearing up once more, and she kissed my cheek before the three of us began our walk down the aisle. Cheers erupted from our family and friends as we approached and I heard a few good natured wolf whistles. I laughed and my eyes filled with happy tears. It was all so overwhelming, but I loved every second. I mentally stored my emotions at that precise moment so that I could look back on them fondly in a few years' time.  
"This is it mija, good luck, te amo, we're so proud of you," my dad murmured in my ear, before kissing my temple and stepping aside.  
"Te amo mi amor," my mother kissed my cheek and squeezed my shoulders before stepping away and joining my dad. They sat together and I glanced over to them. My father winked at me and grinned, making me laugh even though I was now alone under the arch.  
I could hear the blood rushing in my ears despite the noise around me. My eyes were glued to the opening in the palm trees, anxiously awaiting Quinn's arrival.  
I stood impatiently as the ex-glee kids finished their song and began another. They started quietly and I vaguely recognised the tune, unable to put a name to the song, but as soon as Rachel began to sing, I realised with a jolt what it was.  
They were singing take my breath away, the song that Quinn and I had sang together at prom.  
I could see something white moving through the trees, and through the gap, Quinn emerged with her mother. Judy looked lovely as ever, wearing a cute yellow dress, and she met my gaze with a big smile.  
My bride-to-be, however, was simply beyond words.  
Her blonde hair was gently curled, her soft lips were a subtle pink, her defined cheekbones were accentuated by a natural looking rosy blush, and tucked behind her ear was a red rose too, matching the bouquet that she held in her hands. My eyes travelled down further, taking in the see-through lace at the top of the dress, going over her slender shoulders, and becoming opaque just above her breasts.  
Hazel eyes met mine and everything seemed to pause for a moment as I took a mental photo to treasure for as long as I lived. Her lips curved in a smile which I returned happily. I'd never seen anyone more beautiful in my life, and this woman was about to marry me.  
Judy kissed Quinn's cheek before pulling back and dabbing at her eyes, stepping away and moving to find her seat in the front row. The glee kids finished the song and everyone applauded enthusiastically as they bowed and broke apart to go to their respective places. Rachel, Brittany and Mercedes walked towards us in red bridesmaid dresses, each holding a bouquet of white roses. Britt was our maid of honour and as she walked passed, she hugged both Quinn and I, before skipping over to her place to the right of the arch. I looked back at the blonde goddess stood opposite me under the arch, and we shared a grin as Kurt walked over to our left; our best man. Not in a million years would I have guessed that I would have had fancy pants as the best man at my wedding, but lo and behold, here he was.  
Joe began to speak and everyone fell silent, but even though he was right next to me, his words were muffled and distorted.  
"Dearly beloved...matrimony...Quinn Fabray...Santana Lopez..."  
I couldn't take my eyes off of her.  
Every slight expression of hers was picked up by me. Every blink, every lip bite, every time she moved some hair away from her face, I watched, mesmerised. At some point we passed our bouquets to Brittany, but I wasn't really paying attention to anything other than Quinn.  
She reached over and we entwined our fingers, electricity shooting up my arms from the contact. This was the final bit. We had to do the vows, then the rings, and then we'd be married.  
Quinn cleared her throat and glanced around at everyone, before looking back at me, pure adoration and love in her eyes.  
"I don't even know where to begin," she laughed, squeezing my hands, "I guess I'll start from the beginning. I've known you for as long as I can remember, and despite our ups and downs, we've managed to stay strong. Yes we had our fights. Yes we say things that we regret. Are we perfect individually? No. Well, you're pretty damn perfect sweetie, but I'm far from it. But are we perfect as a couple? Definitely. You complete me, San, you challenge me and I honestly don't know where I'd be without you. You managed to get me to open up and somehow you've thawed the ice away from my heart," she chuckled, the crowd joining in, "I love you San, and I'll spend forever trying to make you happy," her voice cracked a little and a tear rolled down her cheek. I could feel my hands and knees shaking, but I didn't care. This was the single best moment of my life and I wanted to make the most of it.  
"Quinn, I don't know what to say to follow that," I joked through tears that threatened to fall. "You're the reason I am who I am today. Without you, I'd still be that cold hearted bitch that everyone was afraid of. Maybe I'm still a bitch, but I think that's just me," I flashed her a grin which she returned, shaking her head slightly in amusement, "I don't know why you even bothered to try with me, but I'm so happy that you did. We're meant to be, and I couldn't be more excited by the prospect of spending my life with you. I will take care of you, I will love you, and I will strive to be what you deserve," I finished there, my voice cracking and tears rolling down my face. We stood there together, our hands joined, while those closest to us looked on, witnessing the happiest moment that we would ever experience. I could feel the sun bearing down on us, I could feel sand under my feet, I could hear the waves lapping gently at the shore, and I knew that this couldn't have been more perfect if we tried.  
Puck sauntered over to us with a red cushion on which lay two gold rings. He smiled lopsidedly and kissed us both sweetly on the cheek, before handing us the rings and returning to his seat.  
"Do you, Lucy Quinn Fabray, take Santana Lopez to be your lawfully wedded wife?"  
There was no hesitation whatsoever as Quinn looked straight in to my eyes and confidently said, "I do,"  
Joe turned to me.  
"Santana Lopez, do you take Lucy Quinn Fabray to be your lawfully wedded wife?"  
_This was it_. "I do,"  
We pushed the rings on to each other's fingers, before holding hands again.  
"I now pronounce you wife, and, uh, wife," he laughed. "You may now kiss your bride,"  
We both took a small step forward. I wrapped my arms around Quinn's neck and she placed her hands on my hips. Our lips met and our bodies pressed together. If sparks could literally fly from kisses, then I think we'd be on fire.  
Friends and family cheered as we walked down the aisle, hand in hand, waving to everyone as red and white confetti was thrown over us. We laughed through flashes of cameras and stumbled back to the resort, eager to get the photos taken and the reception started.

**A/N Woo, wedding! This chapter was fun, but I need help for the next chapter; do we want a reception chapter or should I just move on to the honeymoon?  
Thanks for reading, hope you liked it and reviews are much appreciated! I read them all and they make me smile, so thank you :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N Okay, I know this took ages to upload and I'm sorry, but I hope you can forgive me given the recent happenings. Cory's passing really affected me as I'm sure it did for a lot of you, and I haven't really been in the right state of mind to write anything. To be honest, I didn't want anything to do with Glee until I felt ready, my story included. I apologise if this chapter isn't up to it's usual standard but like I said, I just haven't felt like writing. Virtual hugs to you all :)  
Also, for those who don't know the song in this chapter, I strongly recommend you listen to it, it's a personal favourite and I think it's beautiful. 'Swallowed in the sea' by Coldplay.**

Chapter 29  
Quinn's POV

"Congratulations you two!" Rachel squealed as she barrelled towards us across the dance floor, oblivious to the strange looks she was getting from our various guests. Only those that were invited to the ceremony were here which meant that the large hall was sparsely filled with people. In the back half were about a dozen round tables with a bar to the left, at which sat a small group made up of Santana's many uncles and aunts. In the fuller half was a dance floor and stage. A large table sat on the raised platform with flashing lights directed at the dance floor below, and the DJ for the evening was none other than Noah Puckerman, although he had insisted on being called DJ Puckzilla. Everywhere I looked there was smiling faces and congratulatory words being thrown in our direction, and I couldn't help thinking that this was one of the single most amazing moments of my life.  
"Thanks Rach," I grinned, extending my arms as she flung herself at me.  
"You two looked so cute up there," she gushed, turning to Santana who was stood next to me, an eyebrow raised at Rachel's volume and enthusiasm.  
"Thanks Berry," she smiled, bending down and hugging the smaller girl.  
"I'm so happy that I could come, I thought I wouldn't be able to but I pulled some strings. I honestly can say that this whole event is perfect, something that I couldn't have even planned myself. I hope that it was everything that you guys wanted because you certainly deserve it,"  
My heart warmed at her words and I wrapped an arm around my wife's shoulder, pulling her close as I observed my tiny friend. I was surprised that Rachel had been able to attend given that she was now pretty well known and had a very busy schedule. She'd had her Broadway debut a couple of months ago and things seemed to have completely taken off from there and she was being offered film roles and opportunities to be on talk shows left right and centre. I couldn't say that I was surprised though; 'Rachel Berry' was destined to be written in lights all over the world.  
"Miss Berry, you know better than to wander off! You're to stay with me at all times," A burly man in a black suit and sunglasses had pushed his way over to us and was now standing with a large arm around Rachel.  
"Hey buddy, watch where you put your fat arms, eh? She may be small but she's got a bite and I'm sure she doesn't need some meat head to come and chaperone her every move. Her annoying voice is enough of a deterrent so why don't you leave off," Santana snapped. She was about to take a step forward but I held out an arm, stopping her.  
"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding Santana, but this is my bodyguard, so I would politely recommend that you don't get on his bad side. Gary, these are the brides. This is Quinn," she said, gesturing to me with a smile as Gary held out a large hand. I took it politely and inclined my head to him. "And this is Santana, as you may have gathered," she added, her smile faltering slightly.  
"Nice to meet you Quinn, and you Santana. I respect how protective you are of your friend. Congratulations, by the way," Gary smiled at us before turning to Rachel. "I'm sorry but I think we should go now Miss Berry, paparazzi seem to have discovered your whereabouts and I have strict orders. I have a car outside now, if you'll follow me,"  
"Seriously? Ugh, can't I just enjoy my friend's wedding without the paparazzi finding me for once?" She let out a dramatic sigh and turned to us apologetically. "I'm sorry you guys, but I have to leave early. Congratulations again and I hope you like your gifts. Enjoy your honeymoon too," she leant forward and hugged us both, smiling sadly.  
"Oh, we'll enjoy the honeymoon alright," Santana grinned, waggling her eyebrows and laughing. I slapped her gently on the arm, trying not to laugh at Rachel's disgusted face.  
"I'd rather not know that, Santana. I'll take it as my cue to leave," she smiled and hugged us again before allowing 'Gary the man-mountain' to lead her away through the crowd.  
"Typical," I muttered.  
"I know," Santana agreed. "Did you see the size of that dude though? He must've been like, 6 feet 8! I could've taken him, why'd you stop me?" She pouted. I laughed and took her hand.  
"He's a huge bodyguard! You need to stop being so aggressive sweetie, he was just putting a protective arm around her and them you tried to bite his head off," I chastised.  
"I know but she's small and I just thought-"  
"Please, no more aggression? This is our day," I smiled, squeezing her hand slightly. She nodded and leant over to kiss me.  
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the first dance of the evening! Could the beautiful brides please make their way to the dance floor and could everyone else please make way for them, thank you," Puck's voice was amplified over the speaker system and I couldn't help but smile.  
"You heard the man," I grinned, pulling Santana by the arm and turning around. The crowd had parted for us and I couldn't help but be reminded of my popular days in high school; the corridors would part like the Red Sea in my presence, and this situation felt uncomfortably similar. With Santana by my side, we walked together towards the dance floor surrounded by our loved ones.  
Everyone gathered to watch as we stood in the centre and positioned ourselves; my hands on her hips and her arms around my neck. Silence fell and I glanced over at Puck up on the stage. He raised a hand and waved before giving me a thumbs up.  
Chris Martin's smooth voice sounded all around us and 'swallowed in the sea' by Coldplay began.  
I looked down at Santana as we swayed together, listening to the song and concentrating on each other. Everyone else melted away as the chorus began and I looked fondly into her deep brown eyes.  
_'And I could write a song, a hundred miles long,__  
__ Well that's where I belong, and you belong with me,__  
__ And I could write it down and spread it all around,__  
__Get lost and then get found, or swallowed in the sea.'_  
She tilted her head up and soft lips found mine in a gentle kiss that sent chills rippling through my body. It wasn't sexual at all; on the contrary, it was sweet and held so much meaning that couldn't possibly be conveyed through words. We rested our foreheads together and I shut my eyes, feeling her body swaying with mine as we listened to the music.  
_'You put me on a line and hung me out to dry,__  
__ And darling that's when I decide to go to see.__  
__ You cut me down to size, and opened up my eyes,__  
__ Made me realise what I could not see.'_  
Tears welled in my eyes and I pulled my wife closer, wishing that we could physically be as close as I felt we were in that moment. It was completely indescribable.  
She drew in a breath and rested her head on my shoulder, allowing the scent of her vanilla perfume to wash over me, giving me a complete sense of safety.  
_'And I could write a book, the one they'll say that shook__  
__ The world and then it took, it took it back from me.__  
__ And I could write it down or spread it all around,__  
__ Get lost and then get found and you'll come back to me,__  
__ Not swallowed in the sea,'_  
Hours felt like they had passed when in fact it was only minutes. The song drew to a close but we still stood, swaying together without any music.  
Our guests erupted in applause and cheering, making us jump.  
"I forget they were here," Santana whispered, looking up at me and smiling. I nodded and laughed a little, looking round at everyone until my gaze landed on Santana's father. He raised an eyebrow in question and held out a hand. I knew what he was asking and I nodded.  
Mr Lopez walked over to us and kissed my cheek, smiling warmly as he did so.  
"Mind if I dance with you mija?" He said, looking down at his daughter. She looked at me, checking that I was okay with it. I smiled in response and she grinned, taking her father's hand and stepping back.  
I turned away, my smile fading as I walked deep into the crowd that was now filtering onto the dance floor, losing myself amidst the mass of bodies all clamouring to get the opportunity to dance. A heavy feeling settled in my stomach as I glanced behind me, watching Santana laughing with her dad.  
"Quinnie, where are you going?"  
I frowned and turned to see my mother looking at me, concerned.  
"I was just going to sit down. San's dancing with her dad and, well, I don't have a dad to dance with," I muttered, trying not to let the bitterness show in my voice.  
"Nonsense Quinn, you can dance with your mother! Or am I too embarrassing," she laughed, taking my hand. "What do you say?"  
"Thanks," I smiled, looking at the floor instead of the blonde woman in front of me.  
"Well, come on then!"  
Next thing I knew, I was being dragged through the mass of people and on to the crowded dance floor.

Several hours later, the reception was drawing to a close and the hall was pretty much empty, save for a few people who were saying last minute goodbyes. Santana and I were sat at one of the round tables surrounded by empty glasses and bottles. It was safe to say that we were both pretty tipsy, which probably contributed to our decision to dance again, despite there being no music.  
"Come on Quinn, on the table!" Santana laughed, climbing up and staggering slightly. She held out a hand which I shakily took as I joined her.  
"There's no music," I whined, giggling and hiccupping slightly as she cupped my ass.  
"Lemme sing," she slurred, not releasing her hold on my butt. "I belieeeeeve I can flyyyyyy," she shouted.  
"I believe I can touch the sky!" I grinned, hopping up and down with my arms in the air.  
"Hababla bla bla bla blabla,"  
"I don't know the rest of the woooords," I laughed loudly, staggering and knocking over a few empty bottles. Looking back, I would know that it wasn't even that funny, but in my drunken state, everything was hilarious.  
"You're so funny," she hiccupped, grabbing two bottles from the table and clinking them together. "Cheers to my hilarious wife!"  
"Cheers!" I giggled, taking one of the bottles and raising it.  
"I love you, you know," she slurred, managing to look at me. Her eyes had a glazed effect to them and she looked kind of blurry.  
"I love you too San," I kissed her on the lips and she grinned.  
"Happy forever,"  
"Happy forever,"  
We clinked our empty bottles together in one final wedding day toast.

**A/N Reviews are always appreciated and thank you for you continued support.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N I know I haven't posted in ages, but I've been on holiday so I couldn't. I hope you like this chapter though, it was pretty fun to write. Enjoy.**

Chapter 30  
Santana's POV

Gentle beams of light slipped through the gap in our curtains, falling on my face and pulling me through the thick fog of sleep and into consciousness. I rolled my neck gently, noting the stiffness and soreness. My body ached, like after a hard workout, but it was the good kind of ache that meant you were progressing. I frowned, my eyes still shut, trying to remember what I had done as a workout recently. My mind was still fuzzy and refused to work so soon after waking up, so I groggily opened my eyes and glanced around at our 'honeymoon suite'.  
Mine and Quinn's suitcases lay on the floor next to the open wardrobe that we were yet to fill. A ceiling fan was lazily turning above us, offering little comfort in the humid, sluggish air. I noted with a smirk that my bra lay discarded on the dressing table opposite us on the far wall, and I could just make out Quinn's panties lying on the floor. A trail of clothes led from the door to our bed and I bit my lip, remembering last night's activities_. So that was why I felt sore; totally worth it_.  
I had carried her over the threshold when we arrived last night in the true 'just married' tradition, and we had promptly settled in. I made a mental note to leave a message in the comments book commending the hotel owners for choosing a sturdy bed supplier. We definitely put the poor piece of furniture through it's paces and it didn't so much as creak.  
Quinn's head lay on my bare chest, her arm loosely draped over my stomach and her legs entwined with mine. She was breathing deeply, evidently still asleep. I lifted an arm and gently stroked her ruffled blonde hair, before twisting my head to look at the clock on the bedside table. 12:34pm.  
"Looks like we missed breakfast," I muttered, turning back and looking down at the sleeping figure draped over me. Quinn stirred but didn't wake, instead rolling away and stealing the thin duvet, leaving me lying naked on the bed with a view of Quinn's also naked ass. I examined her backside and smirked, moving behind her so that we were spooning, before reaching over slowly and gripping the duvet that she was determinedly holding onto in her sleep. I counted to three in my head, and then yanked the duvet away from her, pulling it over me.  
"Heeeeeyyyyy," she whined, groping blindly for the missing cover, her eyes still shut. I started laughing and she rolled over, frowning and sticking out her bottom lip. It was adorable. "I'm cold now," she huffed, crossing her arms. Frowning again, this time in confusion, she looked down at herself and squealed, rolling onto her stomach so that she wasn't as exposed. From the little of her cheek that I could see in between strands of hair, it was easy to tell that she was blushing.  
"Quinn I've seen you naked hundreds of times," I laughed, pushing the duvet away so that I was just as exposed as she was and moving over to her.  
"I feel violated. Were you looking at me naked while I was asleep?" She mumbled, her words distorting slightly into the pillow.  
"I'm not that much of a perv! Jeez," I pretended to be indignant, knowing full well that I had checked out her naked ass. Who wouldn't?  
"Bullshit," she twisted her head so that she was facing me, still lying on her stomach. "I know what you're like, hell, I'd look at you while you were asleep so I don't mind _too _much," she smiled, an eyebrow arched.  
"Good, because I was a perv," I winked, laying on my back and stretching. A smirk pulled at the corners of my mouth as I saw Quinn's eyes roam my body. "Like what you see?" I grinned, before adding, "Perv,"  
Momentarily startled, she snapped her eyes away, a blush creeping up her neck. She regained her composure and met my gaze, her eyes turning an extraordinary dark green. Her eyes would forever amaze me.  
"I love what I see," she smiled, biting her lip.  
"We've already missed breakfast, why don't we see if we can miss lunch," I whispered, placing a hand on Quinn's hip and pushing gently so that she rolled, her body now exposed and facing mine.  
I moved forwards and kissed her gently, listening to her quietly moan as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "Let's miss dinner too, we can order room service," she murmured against my lips. I shuddered and crashed my mouth to hers again.  
So what if we were in a gorgeous foreign country, begging to be explored? Sex with Quinn would always take precedence, and exploring her body would be _so _much better.

"Holy shit, San look!"  
"What?"  
"Over there!"  
"I don't know what you're talking about, all I can see is sand and crap,"  
We were in the back of an open top jeep, racing along a desert road on our way to see the famous Egyptian pyramids. We had set off from Cairo sometime in the morning, and it was now the afternoon. I hadn't expected the drive to take so long, nor had I realised how damn hot it would be. I was grumpy to say the least, whereas Quinn was fascinated by everything it this foreign land; taking pictures, buying knick-knacks from the busy market, greeting friendly locals and enjoying the fresh air as it whipped past, blowing our hair and cooling our sun-warmed skin.  
It was our third day here in Egypt. The first was mainly spent in the hotel room while it rained all through the late afternoon and evening (we didn't realise it was raining, but that was our excuse for not leaving the room), the second day was spent by the pool, with a romantic evening walk through the town. And today Quinn had insisted we come and see the pyramids. I personally didn't see what the big deal was, but if Quinn was happy, then I was happy.  
"San look, right there," she pointed out into the distance. I followed her finger and squinted, trying to make out whatever she was pointing at. On the horizon in front of us, I could make out several brown lumps, fast approaching. Was that what she was referring to?  
"Do you mean those brown things?"  
She sighed and lifted her sunglasses to give me an exasperated look. "Yes San, those brown things,"  
I laughed and pulled her into my arms, kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry, 'wow! I've never seen a brown lump before, that's so exciting!',"  
She laughed and shook her head, still hugging me. "You're an ass sometimes, you know that?" She burrowed her head into my chest and I smiled contentedly, holding her tighter.  
"I know, but you love me,"  
"True. Let go now, I'm hot," she sat up and smoothed down her cute white sundress. I pouted at the loss of contact and she shuffled closer, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips, erasing the pout. I smiled and leant into her body as she put her arm around me. Suddenly I wasn't so grumpy any more.

That evening when we got back to the hotel, we were both exhausted. Having got up extra early, 8am, I could feel my eyelids threatening to close by 7pm, and it was now 10 o'clock. We had eaten in Cairo before walking the short distance to the hotel, and now we were stood in the spacious lobby, waiting for an elevator.  
I wearily leant my head on Quinn's shoulder and she gave me an empathetic smile, wrapping a tired arm around me.  
"Thanks for coming with me today San, I know it's not really your thing but I appreciate it," she said, running her finger lightly down my tricep.  
"It's cool, you were enjoying yourself and that's all that matters,"  
The elevator doors slid open and we stepped inside, Quinn jabbing at the fourth floor button and then giving me one armed side hug. She kissed my head but didn't move away, her nose in my hair and her lips next to my ear.  
"Thank you sweetie, but you didn't enjoy your day, so I'm going to make sure you enjoy your night," her lips tickled and her breath was cool on my hot skin. I suddenly felt more awake, and wished that the damn elevator would hurry up. She grinned devilishly, showing her perfectly straight white teeth. I returned the smile and observed her. What the hell did I do to deserve Quinn Fabray? Or Lopez, as she was now called. She was tall, blonde and slim, with the best ass anyone could ask for. Not only that, but she was an amazing person underneath her perfect looks. Sure, she could be a bitch sometimes, and maybe she could seem a little manipulative, but that was to anyone who didn't know her. I would describe her as a rose. To look at, it's beautiful, but to get to the actual gorgeous bit, the flower head, you had to get past sharp thorns on the stem. The thorns might put some people off, but the intricate layers of petals at the top, creating the beautiful rose, were definitely worth the initial pain. The more you time you took to look, the more layers you noticed, and the more beautiful it got.  
"What are you thinking?" She asked, her eyebrow raising in the cute but incredibly sexy way that only hers does.  
"Just that I'm really, really lucky to have you," I smiled, standing on tiptoes and kissing her gently. The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.  
"You're already getting lucky tonight San, there no need to flatter me," she laughed, stepping out and offering me her hand. I took it and we walked together down the curving corridor, looking out at low rise buildings and restaurants, still wide awake under a black blanket dotted with tiny jewels. I examined a particular star that seemed to shine brighter than the others, before looking away and concentrating on the door numbers.  
"I mean it, Q, I always mean the nice things I say to you. It's kind of insulting that you think I only say it to get into your pants," I frowned. I didn't want to argue with her, so I phrased it in a way that wouldn't sound overly aggressive. Usually I would have no qualms in sounding aggressive; Quinn and I liked the playful banter, but tonight I couldn't be bothered, and after a nice day, I didn't want to ruin it for her.  
She shrugged, "a lot of people only used to say nice things to me to try and get into my pants. I'm sorry,"  
"Well, just know that I mean what I said. Which number are we again?"  
"Thanks. This one," she smiled, unlocking number 413 and stepping inside. I followed her and shut the door behind me. "Oh, and hang the 'do not disturb' sign on the door," she turned to me, biting her lip and looking at me through her long eyelashes. _I was doomed_.  
After hastily hanging the sign on the door, I practically threw my shoes aside and ran to where Quinn was standing in the middle of the room, hands on hips, a sexy smirk on her face. I slowed and stopped in front of her, neither of us saying a word. She placed a hand on my cheek as I put mine on her waist. She looked at me, her brow ever so slightly furrowed in a way that only I could detect; to other people her expression would look normal. She seemed to be searching my face for something, but I didn't know what. She didn't look concerned, perhaps, doubtful? I didn't say anything; if she wanted to speak, she would. We stood like that for a minute, until I couldn't stand the teasing proximity any longer, and I leant up and kissed her lips. It wasn't particularly sexual, it was slow, and it conveyed meaning. I hoped to erase whatever Quinn was thinking about with the kiss.  
That night, sex was different to normal. It was careful, and we took our time with everything. Only once had it been like this; our first time together as an official couple. I couldn't place what it was that was different, but it just felt like we were closer than ever. Maybe it was because I proved to Quinn today that I really did put her needs before mine; I didn't just talk the talk, I walked the walk. It felt like our bond had grown stronger and ran deeper, so that night, everything was deliberate; we didn't rush at all. I could honestly say that I loved her more than absolutely anything in the world, and I would take a bullet for her in a heartbeat.

"San, I'm going to go and collect the tickets, could you stay here with our stuff?"  
We were stood in the airport in Egypt, sweating in the sticky, humid air. Our honeymoon had passed in a flash, and I really wasn't ready for it to be over; being alone in a beautiful place with Quinn for a week was bliss, and I dreaded going back to regular everyday life.  
People milled about, sitting or standing, all looking grumpy and tired. I was no exception, but Quinn was. She was acting funny, skipping around, making odd comments about how hot the weather was here and how nice it would be to go somewhere cooler, maybe even rainy. I replied with, 'sure', hoping that she would accept that as a response and stop acting funny. I would've asked why she was being weird, but I was too tired and hot. She was probably just excited to go home.  
I looked at her as she stood in front of me, somehow managing to be sexy even though she was in casual travelling clothes; a loose white vest top and black shorts. I'd given so many death glares to guys that thought it was appropriate to check out her ass. I was surprised that I still had the energy to get mad at them.  
"Sure," I said, weariness evident in my voice. She kissed my cheek and skipped over to the desk while I wheeled our cases to a row of seats and heavily sat down. I glanced over to her and smiled; she was engaged in an animated conversation with the receptionist and I could see them both laughing. Then she said something and turned, pointing to me and grinning, blowing me a kiss. The receptionist smiled too and I waved at them, amused by how adorable my wife was. Then, she walked back over to me, slipping the tickets into her shorts pocket.  
"Nice chat?" I asked, sliding my arm around her waist as she sat down next to me.  
"Yeah, the lady was really nice," she smiled, putting an arm around my shoulders and pressing a kiss to my temple.  
"We should probably go through the gate thing, how long til our flight?"  
"Uhh, about 45 minutes. I want some food though, there's got to be something to eat here. Airplane food is gross," she wrinkled her nose.  
"I like airplane food, but yeah, there's stuff through the gates, in the shopping bit,"  
"_Vamos chica_,"  
"_Vale_," I grinned, amused by Quinn's Spanish. She had picked up a few words from me, neglecting the swear words and slang, and it was sexy as hell. We stood and wheeled our cases over to load them on the conveyor belt that would take them to the plane.  
I noticed Quinn watching me and I looked at her, frowning.  
"What?" I asked, noting her faint smile.  
"I love you, so much,"  
I raised my eyebrows in surprise at her sudden declaration. "I love you too,"

40 minutes later, Quinn and I were walking around, searching for our terminal.  
"Q, where are you going? Our flight is this way," I said, pulling her hand towards the left.  
"No, it's this way sweetie,"  
"No, look at the board,"  
She gave me a devilish smile and I knew she was up to something. "Come on San, follow me,"  
I held her hand and followed in silence, trying to think what the hell she could be up to. We reached a queue in the north terminal leading to a desk and when we got to the front, Quinn handed the attendant our tickets.  
"Have a nice trip, ladies, I hear that the weather is okay for once," he smiled, ripping the bulk of the ticket off and handing us our boarding passes. I examined mine and frowned.  
"Q, where are we going?" She was pulling me down the tunnel that led on to the aeroplane. Turning, she gave me a knowing smile.  
"Where you've always wanted to go, sweetie,"  
I looked at her, my head titled, the pieces of the puzzle finally slotting together.  
"We're going to England," she grinned.

**A/N Sorry if I got anything about Egypt wrong, I tried to keep it vague just in case I said something stupid. I know there's a civil war in Egypt at the moment but I kind of based this on the older Egypt that my grandparents told me about when they visited. I know it's inaccurate but I just thought that it would be the kind of place that they'd want to visit. Also, I don't know whether Americans say airplane or aeroplane? So I used both haha. Hope this was okay, I'll try and update more often. Reviews are really appreciated and thank you to everyone that has reviewed/followed/favourited and is still sticking with this.**


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